The Stitching
by E-102 Gamma
Summary: My first story on ff and a parody of 'The Howling', celebrating Halloween. Dexter and friends set out to investigate why plushie entrails are being found near the forest after a tragedy at the cul-de-sac party, but gets more than he barganed for...
1. Chapter 1

It was the bright lights over at the human fortress of cardboard which grabbed the Fusion monsters' attention. They had seen the signs everywhere that something big was about to happen, the figurines that were just as ferocious as they were, the strange, glowing, sticky orange things that had faces that glowed at night, and nobody could miss the fact that all of their enemies were gathering at the same spot. "They must be planning something," Fuse had concluded. "They must be plotting my downfall and gathering their strength to finish me!" And so he had sent out the best of his troops to find out what the 'vermin' were up to this time. But, as they stood on the ridge near the castle of boxes, the monsters could deny their feelings no longer as orange light began to radiate from the walls within.

For once, the minions were utterly speechless.

Inside the cul-de-sac was another story, and it was indeed the night of a big event, but one which had taken place for many years in time. For this night, and probably one of the few nights that the could do it, the world threw away fear and revelled in the memories of Halloween.

"Welcome, I'm glad you could make it!" Double-D greeted as more of his recruits entered the gates of the cul-de-sac castle. Despite his warm attitude towards arrivals, Double-D was a little bit agitated, for he had donned the green, blob-shaped Bubonic Plague outfit once more and still gotten upheavals of laughter from Eddy, as well as a few other partygoers. He had managed to get his own back when the fan-girls had nearly crushed Eddy as they stormed over to him in an attempt to get his autograph.

"Hey, Sock-Head," A voice called. Double-D turned to find himself staring at what appeared to be a short, zombiefied Elvis walking towards him, however it was just Eddy in his old costume as well, something that all three of the Eds had decided to do for the first Halloween party in a very long time. "How's the greeting going?" Eddy asked, a smirk planted on his face. "Get a kiss from a girl yet?"

Double-D rolled his eyes and adjusted the black ski-hat that poked out of his costume every so often. "Not yet, thankfully," Then he turned to look up at the stars. "… Remember that Halloween Ed went as Lothar?" At the mention of the name Eddy's gaze began to soften.

"Yeah, running rampant in the cul-de-sac, that was mad," He suddenly turned sorrowful. "… Do you think we'll ever see him again?" Double-D remained speechless for a while.

"… I don't know, Eddy," He replied. "I really don't know," Then Double-D decided to change the topic. "I'm also here to greet the Guide who hasn't arrived yet," He insisted. "Mojo-Jojo arrived just a few moments ago, as did Ben, so the only one who's still not present is-"

Double-D didn't get to finish his sentence, for the whirring sound of jet engines made both of the boys turn to see a robot that looked similar to those which were often shown on anime programs fresh from Japan, a robot clad in white, fists adorned with purple and coming in to land quickly. Others had now begun to gather outside, with the two Eds in the lead, until a rather large crowd had gathered around the amazing mecha. Eddy chuckled as the roof of the robot's foot jerked and opened up, emulating the dome of a stadium. "I don't know how he does it," He remarked. "But he's always good when he's late for a party."

The crowd stayed silenced in awe, before a ricochet of fan-girl screams pulsated from the front of the swarm, all focussed and directed at the 'celebrity' revealing himself to his public. A serious, baby-blue gaze graced the faces of drooling girls, followed by a softer and more eager pair of similar eyes. For the celebrity himself, as his, bright, ginger, hair felt a soft breeze pass through it, he truthfully wished that he could just breeze through the party and head home as quickly as possible, while the other wondered if making her unicorn costume had really been better than buying one herself. The celebrity's stylish glasses fell onto Double-D in a germ costume, and the celebrity thanked his stars that he'd gone as Jack Skellington rather than the Bubonic Plague, as originally intended. "Ah, Double-D," He called, his Russian accent flowing with coolness. "Dressed up as the Bubonic Plague again, I see."

Double-D rolled his eyes and called above the cries of the girls. "Jack Skellington, Dexter, a good choice for the party, I have to say!"

Dexter adjusted the bat-shaped bow tie on his neck and waved at the crowd automatically, his black dress-suit glittering in the light that shone from the depths of the cul-de-sac. The tall girl behind him was Dee Dee, his sister. A slim girl with her golden hair tied back in pig-tails and the fake unicorn horn that was for the costume already coming apart. She dusted her white dress off and also waved to the crowd, her black shoes representing hooves and her smile brighter than pearls.

But far away from this crowd was a pair of jealous eyes, watching from the top of the wall facing the dots below. A girl, skin painted blue with fake stitching stuck to the limbs of her body, looked enviously at the girls as they parted a way for Dexter to get through. She had made the rag-doll, savannah-coloured dress herself, and she seldom wore dresses even at parties like this. She fondled her copper hair sadly and recalled the insults she had received for coming as such a character. "Sally? You mean from 'The Nightmare before Christmas'? That's so cliché!" The words played over and over in her head, burning hatred in her heart and she wished she could join the girls below…

"You okay?" A rusty voice called from her side. The girl turned and almost yelped out in shock, her dark eyes wide as a dark-skinned girl, probably just a little bit younger than herself, climbed up onto the wall. Her navy jumper hid her shorts and platted black hair that had been tied back poked out from the girl's hat. The patchwork girl stepped back nervously.

"I-I-I'm fine Numbah Five," She replied, lowering her gaze shyly, her accent hinting British ancestry. "I just came up here to get a good look at Dexter, that's all…"

Numbah Five adjusted the straps on her shoes that shone milky-white and approached the patchwork-girl calmly. "Now, you ain't gonna get a good view of him from up here," She hadn't been fooled. "C'mon, dish it, what's the real reason you came up here by yourself?"

The patchwork-girl held her eyes at Numbah Five's shoes. "I…" She began, trailing off in the attempt to find her confidence. "I came up here because I'm not coping very well with the social side of it," She confessed. "What I mean is, I find it very difficult to be around the other recruits."

Numbah Five raised an unseen eyebrow and noted the girl's timid expression, then she realised what she meant. "Ah, I see, you're being picked on by the other girls, right?" The patchwork-girl nodded, causing Numbah Five's brain to start thinking. "What's your name?"

The patchwork-girl glanced up for a moment. "M-M-My name? Gamma Areothunder, I was lucky enough to create a name that didn't sound silly, thank god," Then Numbah Five attempted to reach out and touch the girl's arm, resulting in Gamma pulling away from her before gasping. "I-I'm sorry!" She stammered. "I didn't mean to do that, it's my Asperger's you see!"

"… 'Asperger's'?" The word had never been spoken to Numbah Five before. Gamma gritted her teeth in the realisation that she'd forgotten something very important.

"I didn't explain, did it?" The copper-hair girl groaned. "I'm someone with Asperger's Syndrome, a disability, in other words…" She explained. "I'm not good with eye contact, or people touching me, or crowds and noise," Gamma raised her head slightly in shame. "It's a curse, in some ways."

That explained why she wasn't making eye contact or even standing at the very back of the crowds like the other more quiet and shy recruits were, yet Numbah Five couldn't help but feel that there was something missing about this girl, that something was still being kept in the dark. There wasn't much point in trying to get any more information out of Gamma, however, for she had turned and become tense as she watched Dexter pass through the gates and into more roars from eager worshippers. A sly smirk appeared on Numbah Five's face. "How 'bout Numbah Five introduce you to Dexter face-to-face, eh?"

Gamma suddenly lost her breath, her cheeks turned rosy and she began to approach Numbah Five. "You must be pulling my leg, right?" She asked, half expecting the KND operative to nod her head in agreement. But Numbah Five turned her head to watch Dexter herself.

"Numbah Five never pulls legs," She promised. "C'mon, let's go show the other recruits what you're made of!"

Gamma hesitated, but then she nodded, her face much brighter than it had been before, then the duo made their way down to where the swarm was flocking eagerly. They hovered for a little while as the girls gawked for a moment, and then Dexter broke away, dowsing their hopes of being asked to join him quickly and quietly. Compared to the others, Dexter wasn't quite the height everybody made him out to be, but it was a taboo to even mention words such as 'short' or small to the scientist, it had always been that way. But Gamma focussed on Dexter as he began talking to a brunette who was a head and a half taller than himself, dressed in a green jacket and denim trousers. It didn't surprise her, for Ben was a close friend of Dexter, it didn't take a genius to figure that one out at all. "I'm not sure about this at all," Gamma whispered to her new friend as they pulled through the waves of people. "What if he doesn't like me?"

Numbah Five glanced as she approached. "Don't worry, Big D ain't as scary as he seems, he's just stern, and Numbah Five don't blame him, either," She waited for Dexter to stop talking to Ben and when he finally did she looked at Gamma for a moment. "Wait here," And then she walked over to him, chuckling. "My, my," She exclaimed, grabbing Dexter's attention. "Jack Skellington, a fitting character for the occasion, Dexter."

"I _was _going to come as the Bubonic Plague," Her friend replied. "But Dee Dee said I looked stupid, and if Dee Dee says I'm stupid, well…" The young teen shrugged and looked around. "I don't like the idea of this, though," He complained, dipping into his serious tone again. "I'll have the fans drooling over me all night in this costume, and I do not want a repeat of the last party I went to."

Numbah Five decided to make a move. "Well, there's one way you'll drive 'em off, Dexter," She suggested and pointed over to Gamma. "See that girl?" Dexter nodded. "She couldn't pluck up the nerves to even watch you come in, she says that the other recruits give her a real hard time."

Dexter became unsure. "I don't know about it, Numbah Five," He protested. "I've tried to talk to other girls others have suggested and all they do is stare at me and not make any real conversation," Numbah Five listened to his reasoning casually. "Are you sure about this one?"

"I talked to her while she was watchin' you arrive," Dexter's friend spoke with intrigue. "She says she has… Asper… Asper…"

"Asperger's Syndrome?" Dexter asked, now he was interested. Numbah Five's eyes lit up with confirmation.

"Yeah, that's it!" She replied. "I don't know, Dex, she doesn't seem to be one of those 'drooly' kind anyways, and besides…" Numbah Five smiled at her. "I think she's alright, personally, a bit shy and don't like being touched, but she seems friendly enough to talk to."

Dexter looked at the girl for a moment and recalled her facial features and her similar height, had he seen her somewhere before? He couldn't tell. "I'm still not sure, Numbah Five," He finally answered. "Tell her that I need some time to think about it, okay?"

Numbah Five nodded and studied Gamma as she returned, she had to admit that the shy girl really didn't have a good-looking figure and it was fairly obvious to see that Gamma was a little bit plump. The dress _did _suit her, but her short height compared to the other recruits only made the figure more visible. But then Gamma raised her line of sight, showing one of the traits that had caught Numbah Five's attention in the first place. Those eyes, those dark, heavy ,eyes, a gaze that bore the sadness of the world in the iris that watched from afar. Eyes that looked out from misery, as if to say: _'I've got a story to tell, please, won't you listen to it?'_

Suddenly the window into Gamma's soul closed, she lowered her head again as Numbah Five approached. "He said 'no', didn't he?" She asked sadly, expecting the worst. Numbah Five shook her head and glanced back at Dexter.

"He said he'd think about it," She sighed as she recalled past experiences. "I can't blame him, not after the way one fan-girl acted towards him," Intrigued, Gamma stepped a little bit closer. "I mean, they treated him as if he belonged to them, not as a human being!"

Gamma wasn't as surprised as she thought she should've been. "Just how bad were they?" She asked. Numbah Five looked around bitterly at the small 'packs' of girls which had been screaming when Dexter arrived.

"Dexter told me not to name them," She whispered. "But there was once girl, Luce, or something like that, got to the point of forcing Dexter to make her his assistant," She became wary. "Computress has enough trouble guiding the new recruits as it is, and obviously Luce thought that she had a chance…"

Gamma fell into deep thought, wrestling with an unsure decision. "Can you keep a secret?" She asked, voice quieter than it had been before. Numbah Five glanced down at the girl to make sure they weren't being spied on.

"Sure, your secret's safe with me, girl." This caused Gamma to raise her line of sight a little bit as Numbah Five spoke.

"Well…" She began, a little bit timidly. "There's one other reason why the other girls torment me, the reason is because…" Gamma swallowed as she tried to find the right words. "Is… is because…" She took a deep breath and prepared herself. "Is because I'm from a-"

"NOOOOOOOOOOO!"

A rugged, masculine voice roared across the conversation, rendering it a second priority. Both girls joined the partygoers gathering in the middle of the cul-de-sac, people buzzed with worry, causing Numbah Five to shout. "Move along, friends comin' through!" Gamma's heart skipped a beat. Had Numbah Five said 'friends'? She felt flustered, for nobody had called her a friend before in her life… Then Gamma recognised the creature that everybody was flocking around as she caught sight of a purple pelt that sobbed mournfully. A pair of sharp horns protruded from the creature's forehead, his face completely covered by his hand-like hooves and Numbah Five stooped down to bring herself to his level as she stopped running. "Eduardo, what's wrong?" She asked soothingly, as if she were his mother. Eduardo looked up with wide, child-like eyes, his snout wet from tears.

"They're dead!" He blurted out between whimpers, his fangs sharper than daggers. The large creature sat down and held his knees that were covered by grey trousers and wailed. "Both of them, gone, all gone _Numero Cinco_!"

Numbah Five kept her motherly attitude. "Who's dead?" She asked, receiving the reply in the form of Eduardo pointing towards a tattered heap on the ground to his right. On closer inspection, the tattered heap were, in fact, the remains of cuddly toys which had been close to Eduardo. By then a path had been made and Dexter emerged into the open, face pale with anger as his eyes fell upon the 'corpses'. He turned accusingly at the crowd.

"Well?" He shouted, voice colder than ice. Spreading his arms out, Dexter scanned the faces of the audience, searching for a look of guilt, and then pointed at the victims. "Does anybody have an explanation for this?" The people remained quiet. "Anybody?"

"Don't take it out on them, Dexter," A sharp voice cut above the silence. A man, completely covered in shadows, pushed his way through the group to face the young scientist. "None of these kids are to blame…" The man's silhouetted hair gave him the figure of authority. "… Unfortunately."

Dexter eyed the man's topaz-yellow gaze that was stern and cold, then the man took out a black smoking pipe and placed it in his unseen mouth, causing the younger in the stand-off to scowl. "I take it that you know something that we don't, Father?" The man nodded, his dark features giving him the traits of a villain. "Then perhaps you'd like to shed a little bit of light on this situation like YOU SHOULD'VE DONE BEFORE!"

Father kept his mouth shut and examined his nails smugly before talking. "Oh," His voice became high and taunting. "We adults tend to spread the word around a little bit in our general chit-chat," He swaggered over to the ruined toys and inspected them. "These ruined rag-dolls have been appearing all over the forest near the cul-de-sac, and I wouldn't be surprised if some sort of Fusion Monster was to blame for this-" Father cleared his throat as he finished. "-'Tragedy', if you could call it that."

Then another set of girls were the ones to give a dreamy sigh as Double-D joined the drama, he too went over and inspected the toys. "Well…" He began as he looked down at them. "There doesn't appear to be any sort of blade damage, so it couldn't be a Power Painsaw, and the remains would be soaked if a Hydro Hammer had done any damage," Double-D turned to Dexter. "All I can say is that whatever's done it could be a major threat if it starts preying on us." Dexter looked over to Numbah Five.

"Well Numbah Five, think we should check it out?" He called, causing Numbah Five to smirk eagerly.

"I'm game," She replied and glanced over at Gamma, who had backed away slightly when Dexter began shouting at the crowd. "We'll need some extra hands, though."

Numbah Five realised the mistake of her words too late, for almost instantly squeals of fan-girls rose up in the hopes of being chosen, pleas flying from all corners.

"Pick me! Pick me!"

"Over here, Dexter! Choose me!"

"No, me! Pick me!"

Dexter rolled his eyes and looked around, desperate to find a male face amongst the swarm of girls, but then he caught sight of something he hadn't seen before in the corner of his eye. As he fixed his sight he recognised the slightly plump figure of the girl that Numbah Five had mentioned earlier, she stood before him, quieter than a soft breeze, and no form of beg or plea passed her lips. Finally, the girl raised her head, and for a spit second made eye contact with Dexter before her head lowered again, and within that second Dexter saw a look of sympathy pass between each other. He looked at the yapping crescendo one last time, then he began to walk over to the silent onlooker. "Oh! Oh! He's walking towards me!" one expectant girl cried, the sound relayed above Dexter's head as he approached.

"No, he's walking over to me, can't you see him glancing in my direction?"

"Dream on, girl, he's coming for me!"

The girl began to glance at Dexter shyly, but kept her head down, obviously in belief that he had gone for somebody else, by then, the chatter had died down as expectation turned to shock. Then finally, Dexter decided to put the final nail into the coffin of the others who had probably joined his army for the sole purpose of gawking over him, he tapped the girl's shoulder lightly. "Autism is indeed a difficult thing to live with." He began, coaxing the girl out of her shell, and when she suddenly raised her head Dexter became very unsure if he'd made the right decision.

The girl's shocked face was a stark contrast to the many faces of disbelief behind her. "How did you… ?" She asked, slightly amazed and yet confused. Dexter looked at Numbah Five.

"A friend let me know about your situation, that's all," He watched as the girl glanced over to Numbah Five, who's face lit up with assurance, and then the moment was cut short by Father's cold laugh.

"Well, well, well," He observed as he looked at the despairing faces surrounding them. "Looks like the _real_ reason you even joined Dexter in the first place finally wormed it's way out," Then he turned to Dexter as the group parted a way for the group to pass through. "So much for 'we want to join you to save the world!', more like: 'never mind saving the world, we'll join you so that we can worship you!', right Dexter?" Dexter scowled one last time at Father before nodding at the others, who left without a word. "Hey, Dexter!" Father called out one last time.

Dexter whipped around, face painted with irritation. "What?"

Father sniggered. "Take care of your 'girlfriend' now, don't let her get into danger!" He taunted before slinking back into darkness, roaring with laughter as he went.

It wasn't how angry Dexter had become which unnerved Gamma, it was glancing at the jealous faces that made her scared. Now she was probably on top of every one of those girls' enemy lists and they'd soon start sending her death-threats and be out for her blood, she sighed with relief when they passed through the doors to where the robot that Dexter had arrived in was waiting. "God, that was scary," Gamma groaned as she walked. "The looks on those faces…"

"They'll get over it," Dexter promised as he entered the robot's foot. "Hold on a second, I'll be right back…"

Double-D cleared his throat and smiled at Gamma. "Hello, I'm Double-D, but I'm sure you already knew that," Gamma reverted back to her shy exterior. "I've seen you around before, but I never got the chance to actually talk to you, I take it you work for Dexlabs?"

Gamma nodded. "Yes, but I didn't think I'd be at this party tonight, let alone coming on a mission with you guys!" She replied quietly as Dexter returned. Her nerves kicked in again as Dexter stood in front of her, holding something similar to a pistol with a large, blue, watch-battery attached to the barrel.

"I did not get your name," He added, offering her the pistol. "This is a Null-Void gun by the way, use it to protect yourself if you need to."

Gamma hesitated, but then took the weapon from him, her shell beginning to break away. "My name is Gamma Areothunder, sir," She introduced herself, retaining her formal way of talking when running errands for the other characters that she had met in the past. "Do you have any idea what we're up against, sir?"

Dexter seemed a little bit surprised by Gamma's sudden transition to a soldier, but he kept his focus. "No," He replied. "But whatever it is, it's a threat that needs to be dealt with."

Suddenly the echo of distant foot-steps fell upon the group, causing Gamma to turn and face the emerald-green eyes that belonged to Ben, who was running towards them with Dee Dee in tow. "Hey, Dex," He called. "You weren't thinking about having a 'beat up the monster' party without me, were you?" Dexter kept his serious face.

"Sorry Ben," He apologised but held his gaze on Gamma for a moment. "We had to get out as soon as possible, you know what the fan-girls are like," Then Dexter turned to Dee Dee. "Dee Dee I want you to stay here and keep watch over the party in case anything happens."

Dee Dee's eyes flickered angrily. "But Dexter-"

"No 'buts', and that's final," Dexter insisted, stifling a groan from his sister. "Now return to the cul-de-sac, it's not safe out here." Dee Dee hung her head and took one last look at Gamma before walking back to the cardboard fortress as slowly as possible.

Gamma savoured the gaze Dee Dee had given her, a begging plea that seemed to ask: _'Whatever you do, please look after my brother for me.' _Take care of Dexter? Shouldn't Dexter be the one protecting her? In Gamma's eyes the day was getting stranger and stranger…

"Well, I'm ready!" Ben spoke, bringing Gamma back to the present. He was adjusting a device that reminded Gamma of a large, green, wrist-watch. "You guys game?"

Numbah Five smirked as she loaded a pistol that used ice for ammunition. "You bet!" She replied. Double-D gave a nod while Gamma fingered the pistol nervously, she hadn't even realised that the others were waiting for a reply from her. She looked up and nodded quietly.

"Father said that he'd seen the plushies in the forest," Dexter began, planning quickly. "So the forest would be the best bet if we want to find the creature that's caused all of this."

"Hold on," Ben protested. "Father might not be telling the entire truth, you know what he's like."

"I could go check out Delightful Developments," Double-D offered. "Who knows, there might be something there that could be useful!"

"I'll go with you," Ben volunteered. "There's safety in numbers, and I've been getting warnings from others that the monsters there are acting more aggressive than usual."

Numbah Five glanced at Gamma. "I'll go over to Candy Cove and check things out there," She shrugged her shoulders. "Who knows, maybe Stickybeard and his crew know somethin' 'bout this, too."

Dexter nodded, pleased with the strategic moves. "I'll look around the forest and make sure that the creature isn't too close for comfort." Then Numbah Five pointed over to Gamma.

"Why don't you take Gamma with you?" She suggested. "I'll be fine getting' to Candy Cove alone, so maybe another pair of hands will do you good, Dex."

Almost immediately Dexter turned pale, at the same time Gamma almost turned completely scarlet. "Wouldn't it be better if she went with you? The forest is a much more dangerous place than Candy Cove, you know." By then the others had caught on to Numbah Five's plan, and as Dexter talked a smug grin appeared on Ben's face. Double-D only just prevented himself from giggling and Numbah Five suddenly became serious.

"Listen, Dex," She began. "I found Gamma on top of the castle walls, and I didn't see a ladder nearby, nor was she on the wall which could be gotten to by a jump-pad," Numbah Five went up to Dexter, she seemed incredibly tall compared to him. "I can only assume that she climbed up the wall herself to catch a glimpse of you, so go on, give her a chance," Dexter sighed as he started to give in. "I've got the feeling that she'll make you very proud."

"Fine," The scientist said, voice dragged down with annoyance. "Gamma will come with me, then," He glanced at Gamma again for a moment and then pointed at the giant robot behind him. "We'll meet up by the 'Dexo-Robo Two-Thousand' when we've searched as much as we can," Dexter looked at the others as he finished. "If anybody isn't back by midnight then I'll send a search-party out, okay?"

The group broke up, giving Gamma one last chance to see Numbah Five, who winked at her as she left with Ben and Double-D. Gamma smiled for a moment before turning away and following Dexter, leaving her thanks to her new friend unuttered.

It became fairly obvious that Father had spoken truthfully, for the path leading up to the forest had become a wash with shredded plushie remains. The trees looming over the duo was spooky enough on it's own, but the corpse-like entrails on the ground made Gamma shudder and feel like as if she was in a horror movie of some kind. "You haven't spoken much," Dexter commented, grabbing Gamma's attention. "I expected you to be much more thrilled by the fact I chose you."

"I am, sir," Gamma replied, slightly distraught. "I'm just shy, could I at least give that as a reason?" Dexter halted and turned to face her, his gaze stern.

"Did you think that I was accusing you?" Gamma shook her head and hid her eyes from Dexter, making him feel the edge of frustration jab at his side. "Come on, look at me!" He suddenly realised that he'd said something painful, for Gamma had turned pale. She began to weep, locked in a dark memory that Dexter could not portray. "Look at me-"

Gamma backed away and turned, surprising Dexter a little bit. "I can't, sir! I can't!" She whimpered, almost mechanically. She placed her hands on her face and pleaded. "Please, don't punish me!"

"Punish you?" Dexter echoed, shock replacing surprise. "Why would I want to do that?" Gamma raised her head in disbelief but kept her back turned from him.

"A teacher at one of my old schools used to punish me for being unable to make eye contact with him," She explained, guilt present in her voice. "I'm… I'm sorry, the wounds still hurt a lot…"

Dexter hesitated, but then approached his cohort. "I won't punish you," He promised. "You can trust me."

Slowly, Gamma turned until she was face-to-face with the scientist she was now opening up to, her height only a little bit taller than his. Then, wary at first, her eyes flickered open and she held Dexter's gaze, followed by a small gasp. "Oh wow," She exclaimed, now enthralled. "Your eyes are so beautiful, I wish I had eyes like yours," Gamma began to smile. "It'll take a little while to get to the point when I can look at you easily, but it doesn't take much time, I promise."

Dexter studied Gamma's heavy eyes for a moment, then he too began to smile, his uncertainties fading away. "That's okay," He reassured. "Take your time," Then a question crossed his path. "Why did you choose me as your guide in the first place?" Gamma hesitated.

"I need to think about that for a moment," She replied as they headed into the forest, swallowed up by dark foliage. "Well… I guess the main reason why I chose you is because you promised tasks that I could handle much better than the others were offering," Gamma hadn't noticed that Dexter was trailing off in another direction, unaware that she had begun talking again. "You _are _a character I've known for a long time, so I chose you, okay, Dexter?" Dexter had completely gone out of hearing range. "… Dexter?" Gamma looked around to find herself alone, turning around, she suddenly realised how lost she was. "… Oh dear…"

Dexter, unaware of his separation from Gamma, remained patient as Gamma 'pondered'. But after several minutes of wandering around the forest with no response, Dexter found that his patience was wearing thin. "Gamma?" He asked, calling so that she could hear from behind. "Is something wrong?" He turned around to see that Gamma was nowhere to be found. Dexter looked around, and then realised what had happened: They'd accidentally split up in different directions. This wasn't a good thing at all, now that there wasn't so much support from his cohort, Dexter became very tense, he'd have to be very careful in finding his way back.

Suddenly, a twig snapped, causing Dexter to jump in fright and topple over, soon sprawled out on the muddy ground. Sweat dotted his forehead as fear claimed him as its victim, and his chest hurt as he heaved himself onto his feet again. "Stay calm, Dexter," He told himself. "You just stepped on a twig, that's all!" Rustling in the distance soon stripped Dexter of his calming thoughts, he began to back away as the monster approached, his arrival made known by the rapid movements of the shrubs. Dexter's mind began to prepare itself to bolt, legs tensed as the beast exploded out of the leaves and Dexter looked into the dark, black, eyes of…

… Dexter relaxed, staring into the gaze of the innocent rabbit which had hopped out onto his path. He laughed loudly and groaned. "A rabbit," He chortled. "How silly of me." But a throaty growl made him turn and face a pair of yellow eyes that shone with a hunger for blood. Dexter's heart pounded in his chest as the owner of these eyes reared up onto its hind legs, giving the body a bear-like appearance, and roared at the full midnight moon. Dexter began to pull away, but was pinned down as the monster toppled over, pouncing upon him like as if he was a toy. Helpless, Dexter screamed louder than he'd ever screamed in his life, wrestling against fur, claws and… stuffing?

Then the monster opened its heavy mouth and bit down on the scientist's arm, the thundering pain shot up his shoulder blade caused Dexter to scream louder and his costume began to feel wet and sticky as blood flowed from within. But then another noise joined the scream, the sound of a gun being fired, causing the creature to let go and bellow a defeated cry. Then it lumbered off into the shadows from whence it came, leaving Dexter sprawled out on the ground helplessly. Two female figures emerged onto the path, roughly about the same height. One bent down over Dexter, her denim trousers torn and her red, polka-dot vest in need of a wash. "Well, well, well," She inspected with a beefy voice, her curled, ginger hair covered her surprised gaze. "Wouldja' look at this, Marie, it's that lab-kid we've heard all about, uh, y'know, what's-his-name!" The second figure came over, clad in green camo-jeans and a black vest.

"Gee, he's bleeding, that beast got 'im real good, Lee," She pocketed a revolver she'd fired at the monster, her indigo hair brushed by the wind. "Hey, what's-your-name, need help? Or are ya' just gonna lie there an' bleed to death?"

Dexter's vision was blurred, but he looked up at the two girls. "First of all, my name is Dexter," then he pulled himself up. "And second of all, why the heck are you two in the forest at an hour like this anyway?"

"We came looking for our sister, May, she went into the forest to follow Ed," Marie answered. "But we ran into that dumb monster and got lost, then we found you, about to be mauled by that thing," She shot an intimidating look at Dexter. "And you?"

"We came looking for whatever it was that was destroying plushies," He countered Marie's intimidation. "I feared that it would start preying on humans next, but I got separated from my partner, Gamma." Lee's face lit up, struck by memory.

"Oh yeah," She whistled to the bushes and another figure emerged. "We found this girl wandering about in the forest named Gamma Areothunder, she the one you're missing?"

Gamma stepped out into the moonlight, her costume torn in places. "Dexter, thank god! I was worried about you!" She came up to Dexter and saw the wound on his arm. "You've been hurt!"

"I'll be fine," Dexter reassured. "Let's just get out of here-" He doubled over and clutched his arm, groaning in pain. Gamma's concern began to grow.

"C'mon Dexter, you need rest," She looked at Marie and Lee as she put Dexter over her shoulder. "Could one of you help carry my friend, please?" Eventually Marie took Dexter's other side and they advanced out of the forest, walking along the path that they'd entered just an hour ago, but the silence changed to worry when Numbah Five saw the fallen scientist when the giant robot came into sight.

"What happened?" She asked as she ran over, followed by Ben and Double-D. Dexter groaned in pain as Gamma looked up at the others.

"Dexter got hurt, badly," She explained. "He needs treatment, even if he says he won't need it." Double-D froze as soon as he realised the sisters were present. Marie rolled her eyes.

"Relax, sugar," She reassured unsympathetically. "I've got no time for kissing today, we've gotta get back to the Trailer Park anyways."

"Tell Eddy I said 'hi' would ya'?" Lee called as the two girls walked away, unfazed by the situation. Numbah Five looked at the Dexo-Robo quickly.

"C'mon," She called. "We need to get Dexter to Tech Square, ASAP!" She looked at Gamma, who'd given Dexter to Ben and had begun walking back to the cul-de-sac with the mindset that she wouldn't be needed any more. "C'mon, Gamma, you're comin' with us!"

Gamma turned, her eyes glowing with new-found acceptance, she followed Numbah Five into the robot unaware that somebody was watching the drama. For a slender figure had seen the whole scene unfold, and smirked when she had seen the bite-mark on Dexter's arm, giving her assurance in every possible way.

Everything was going according to plan.


	2. Chapter 2

Tech Square had always enjoyed the reputation of being significant, the cutting-edge skyscrapers often enjoyed the thrill of people who looked up at them in awe. However, day had long since passed and evening was in full swing, the metronome that night danced to came in the form of apartment lights turning off and everything shutting down to rest. Yet, in all the stillness, something moved quickly, leaping from building to building with animal-like grace and perched over a metallic street below his playground of agility. The figure crouched as if hunting, a predator, no doubt, and watched the area, eager to silence his raging hunger, and his baby-blue gaze fell upon two people that seemed like ants from his view. The predator caught a glimpse of what one had on her possession and held his gaze on her.

His hunger would be satisfied tonight.

The predator examined his chosen target closely, two girls, no older than fourteen, dressed in bright and gaudy clothing chatted amongst themselves audibly. "I can't believe Dexter chose a stupid loser like Gamma," One of them squawked, voice sharper than a dagger. "I mean, Gamma's an overweight dork, who'd want a girl like her, anyways?"

The other one nodded in agreement, clutching a rather pink and posh-looking teddy-bear to her chest. "You're so right," She hissed. "If anything, Dexter would have more of a chance with a girl like us, we've got the looks and the brains that he does anyway!" Both laughed cruelly, causing a growl in the predator's throat to rise up angrily and he decided to wipe the smile off of his target's face. He jumped down from the buildings on all fours, landing on the path with his over-stuffed feet, homing in on his first taste of plushie flesh. The predator stalked towards the unsuspecting victims…

… Closer…

….. Closer…..

….. Closer…..

The girls never stood a chance, they only just managed a glimmer from the corners of their eyes as the predator charged, ensuing the ripping of plushie fabric and a blood-curdling scream of terror.

It was the wolf-like howl to the moonlight that tore Gamma away from sleep, as she lay on her messy, cream-colored bed, and would not let her return to the land of dreams.

The following morning brought monstrous hoopla to the neighbouring areas surrounding Tech Square in the form of people passing the story that struck fear into hearts and worry to plushie-collectors nationwide:

A plushie corpse had been found in the centre of Tech Square.

The news hadn't come as a big surprise to Gamma as she read the sub-title that had been bested by the crumbling relationship of two spoilt celebrities she'd never heard of, the howl in the middle of the night had written its own article in her mind as she sat on the bed, her well-loved panther plushie hidden behind the pillow where no bullies could find it. By the time that Gamma had returned to her white-wash room she was exhausted, Dexter had been given the all clear and Numbah Five had forced her to throw the badly torn dress away. She had donned a purple shirt with pearl-coloured sleeves and cargo pants similar in shade to Marie's, and when the slow knock on her door made itself noticed Gamma's army boots hit the navy carpet quickly. "Coming," She called and yanked the door open, only to gasp in shock. If the fact that Dexter had come to see her so soon wasn't enough to make her jump, then perhaps the fact that he looked like as if he'd been hit by a truck as well would push Gamma's reaction to that level. "Dexter, what the heck happened? You look like a corpse!" She asked. Dexter stepped in woozily, the shadows under his eyes very apparent.

"Oh, I just didn't get any sleep last night, that's all…" He answered tiredly and yawned before sitting down on Gamma's bed. Gamma stared at him as his head began to droop drowsily and she closed the door as she watched the scientist's attempt to keep awake, Dexter had also taken off his Halloween costume, and returned to the trade-mark lab-coat, purple gloves, black trousers and loafers that he wore every day.

"Any particular reason why you wanted to see me?" Gamma asked after a few minutes of Dexter beginning to fall asleep. Dexter jumped, started when she spoke.

"Oh…" He pondered. "Now why did I want to see you? Um…" The silence began to lengthen. "… I forgot…" Dexter glanced at Gamma and got up to stand at her height. "But I came here for something," Gamma began to look at his eyes, slowing Dexter's words. "Something… important…" He turned shyly as Gamma sighed.

"I think you need a diary," She began, also turning away from Dexter. "Something to keep on top of your schedule, y'know?" She became unaware that Dexter had begun sniffing the air behind her and looked at the pillow. "What worked for me is a small pocket diary that I could fish out at any time."

"Uh-huh, that's handy…" Dexter replied, not really paying attention. He pulled away the pillow and, to his delight, found a well-loved panther plushie begging to be toyed with. He watched it for a moment before pouncing lightly onto it, grabbing it's tail with his teeth and started playing with it like as if he was a cat, batting a terrified mouse around. He tossed it about, catching it nimbly in his mouth while Gamma rambled on about diaries and the like, saying words like "Yes," and "I agree." after throwing the poor plushie. Gamma turned around, ready to motivate Dexter after being impressed by her own words, but produced a blank stare at Dexter, who froze when she saw him, the plushie dangling by the tail in-between his teeth. "Um…" He began, taking the plushie out of his mouth and placing it on the pillow. Then Dexter looked at his watch quickly and faked a gasp. "Oh my, look at the time!" Then he bolted. "I've got a wrench to turn so goodbye Gamma, I'll see you later!"

He closed the door on Gamma's bewildered look and let out a sigh of relief, propping his back up against the wall. Dexter groaned and went over the real reason why he'd come to the girl he'd met last night and savoured the look she had given him. Those eyes, those brilliant, needful eyes that longed for love and sympathy, Dexter craved them. He walked away from the door before feeling his stomach growl again.

Maybe he could take a bite from one of Dee Dee's plushies…

Gamma looked at the average houses of Genius Grove as she strolled through the empty avenues, luckily for her, the monsters which once roamed the streets had migrated to a different section of the place she needed to be. Yet she recalled seeing Dexter's teeth clamped down on her panther plushie, now very wary of what might've happened after she left him to in the medical ward. She hadn't been able to see him for another twenty-four hours until he knocked on her door that morning, by then it was the afternoon, a perfect time to try and see Numbah Five, who had returned to her post hours after Dexter was wheeled in for treatment. She soon saw the barriers that held back green matter on a rather gaunt-looking house in front of a rather tiny settlement from spreading. Mandark's house, no doubt, one of the places that had suffered very badly from the Fusion infection. A few other kids had flocked around somebody in the drive of the sweet-looking house, none of which had been at the party, thankfully, and then broke away in different directions, leaving a very flustered Numbah Five to her own devices. She suddenly realised that Gamma was approaching and waved. "Yo! Gamma!" She called. "Good to see ya' again!" Gamma came over eagerly.

"How's it going, Numbah Five?" She asked. Numbah Five wiped her covered forehead.

"Man oh man, I've been bombarded by people asking me where the monsters have gone all day…" She groaned and looked back at Gamma. "How's Dex, is he okay?" Gamma became tense at the sound of Numbah Five's question.

"Oh, hello Gamma!" A familiar voice spoke, Double-D had appeared from behind the house. He walked up to the girls, striding in purple shorts and red stockings, his feet hitting the ground in bluebell sneakers and his shirt more orange than the sun. "I didn't expect to see you here! Getting a mission from Numbah Five, I take it?"

Numbah Five looked perplexed. "We didn't exactly expect you to be here, either!" She grew suspicious. "Aren't you meant to be giving out Guide missions, or somethin'?" Double-D remained calm and relaxed.

"Not to worry," He reassured. "The rangers at the fort volunteered to take over for me while I came to see you," Double-D's eyes glittered worriedly. "I wanted to know if you had heard any news about Dexter's condition."

Gamma looked at the other two came close to them. "Listen," She began. "We need to speak in private about Dexter for a moment," She looked around nervously. "I'm quite tense at the moment as it is…" She led the others around to the side of the house and checked one more time before taking the article she'd carefully cut out and pocketed to show Numbah Five. "Look at this, although I'm fairly sure you're aware of it."

Numbah Five almost turned pale. "What the heck? Are you sure this story's real?" Gamma lowered her gaze, recalling what she'd heard last night.

"Well…" She began. "I heard something last night while trying to get some sleep," The others listened intensely. "First of all, I heard screaming in the distance, then somebody running quickly…" Beads of sweat dotted Gamma's face as she told her tale. "… And then… what I think… was wolf-like howling…"

"It might be possible that the creature that bit Dexter managed to make it to Tech Square," Double-D suggested. "Because we stopped finding the plushie remains the day after you left for the lab." Gamma shook her head.

"There's more," She insisted. "This morning I got a visit from Dexter, who looked like as if he'd been running all evening," By now, Numbah Five was picking up a worried face herself. "Then, while my back was turned, Dexter began playing with my plushie panther, I caught him holding it by the tail with his teeth." Gamma folded her arms suspiciously. "He got real frantic and left before I could ask him why he was destroying my doll," She looked at the others directly. "I think that bite Dexter received has done something to him."

Numbah Five began to ponder. "Was there a full moon in the sky, like on Halloween?" She asked, Gamma shook her head again. "It might not be what's going through my head after all, then," She concluded. "I thought that maybe Dexter had changed into whatever that monster was!"

"You mean something like a 'wereplushie'?" Double-D was a little bit sceptical. "I find it hard to believe that Dexter's been bitten by a were-beast, but then again, I couldn't quite believe that aliens had attacked Earth, either…"

"Either way," Numbah Five kept her sight on Gamma. "Keep your eye on Dexter and report anything else that seems… unusual," She advised. "If he really is… um… the one responsible for the attack in Tech Square then maybe we can find him a cure-"

"Hah, hah, hah…" A sweet voice sniffled from behind the corner of the house. "AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHCHOOOOOOO!" Numbah Five stormed over and whoever had sneezed yelped as she was dragged out into view, revealing herself to be Dee Dee.

"How much have you heard?" Numbah Five demanded. Dee Dee flinched timidly.

"Please don't kill me, I just wanted to know about my brother! I'm worried about him!" She begged. "I heard everything, and besides," She pointed at someone Gamma couldn't see. "Eddy promised me he'd give me a quarter if I found out what you guys were talking about!"

Double-D turned and scowled at Eddy. "Eddy!" he shouted. "I thought I told you to stay in the S.C.A.M.P.E.R.!" Numbah Five went over and pulled Eddy behind the house, who shouted as he was dragged out of sight.

"Hey, hey, hey," He complained and dusted off his yellow shirt crossly. "That shirt cost me five bucks, handle with care!" Eddy then backed up slightly as Double-D proceeded to give him a firm talk about invading other people's privacy. His blue trousers clashed with his red shoes and the three hairs on Eddy's head became withered with boredom. "Calm down, Sock-Head," He protested, raising his hands in defence. "I just wanted to know what you guys were talking about." Double-D rolled his eyes.

"But using Dee Dee as a lackey to get said information is wrong!" He scolded. Dee Dee looked panicky.

"And besides, Dexter must be in big trouble after he got bitten!" Eddy's eyes grew wide as Dee Dee spilt out information.

"Dexter got hurt?" He asked, receiving nods from everybody else. They told him everything that Gamma had said, the worry beginning to grasp Eddy's mouth as he got the information he'd wanted. "… That's… really bad," He finally said when the explaining was over. "Dexter's a goner if something isn't done soon."

"I'll keep watch over Dexter," Gamma promised. "You can count on me."

"Are you sure you can do it on your own?" Numbah Five looked at Gamma, trying to consider her ailment. Gamma smiled in confirmation. "Well," She began and pointed to something coming down the road. "Here's your chance."

A large, light-blue vehicle, similar to a bus, glided down the road and halted in front of the house. It was the large 'D' on the sides that made Gamma alert, Dee Dee almost sprang up and head over to the bus, only to be held back by the others. "Act normal," Double-D instructed as Dexter stepped out onto the grass and strolled towards them. "Ah, Dexter," Gamma was impressed by Double-D's acting skills already. "What brings you here at this hour?"

Dexter smiled at the others, even waving at his sister, who waved back. "I came looking for Gamma, actually," Gamma felt her nerves perking up again. "I was wondering if you'd like to come with me to see Eduardo, so that I can get the whole story from him about what happened on Halloween."

Gamma received a quiet nod from Numbah Five, then she fingered the Null Void gun and loaded it eagerly. "Sure, I'll go with you," She put on a cheerful face. "Ready when you are!"

Dexter grinned and turned to Numbah Five. "Sorry for intruding, I'm sure you were talking about a very important mission to Gamma," He apologised. "I hope it hasn't disrupted your plans."

"Not a problem!" Numbah Five grabbed Gamma by the arm as she headed towards the bus. "Make sure he doesn't do anything that puts either you or him in danger." She instructed between gritted teeth, then watched as her friend passed through the vehicle doors. Gamma waved as the bus whirred to life and breezed past the group freely, then, after a few moments of silence, Double-D sighed.

"Do you really think that Gamma's right?" He asked. "About Dexter being a… you know…"

Numbah Five shrugged, the word that Double-D had used to describe the other side already a taboo. "I don't know, Double-D," She replied. "I just don't know."

During that bus drive Gamma was more alert than she'd ever been before in her life, even if Dexter twitched she was all over it, trying to find any indication of 'wereplushie' behaviour. Yet, as they passed by Peach Creek Commons, Gamma, despite paying witness to Dexter's new habit just hours earlier, was beginning to feel the weight of doubt. "So," She began, changing the topic mentally as well as vocally. "Where are we meeting Eduardo, exactly?"

"I've arranged to meet Eduardo just a few yards away from Foster's," Dexter replied. "It seems that the monsters that aren't stuck in the actual home itself have fled as well, so it'll be much safer to talk on the streets."

The purple pelt of Eduardo appeared on the horizon and Dexter smiled at Gamma as he brought the bus to a halt, but upon gracing the hard tarmac Gamma froze as she saw the one thing in Eduardo's possession that she had prayed that he wouldn't hold in his hooves:

The largest, most over-stuffed, baby-blue bunny plushie Gamma had ever seen in her life.

She wasn't alone, for Dexter's eyes had locked onto the cuddly toy as well, strands of sweat clung to his hair as if they were orange icicles. "Hola, Señor Dexter," Eduardo greeted, completely unaware of the possible danger that his plushie was in. "I came, like you wanted me to," He showed Dexter the plushie, who, by then, was dripping with the sweaty urge to pounce. "And I brought Manuel to come and meet you, too, he's always wanted to meet a celebrity, you see."

"How… flattering," Dexter remarked, forcing the words out. Gamma couldn't help but feel sorry for her friend for being put under such pressure, however kept her lips sealed about the evidence piling up against Dexter as he stepped over to Eduardo, restraining himself with all of his might. "So… what exactly happened at the Halloween party when you brought your plushies?" He asked, making Eduardo ponder for a second.

"Well, I arrived at the party with Señor Ben, who promised me to take me to the party at the castle-thingy," He recalled slowly. "I took Pedro and Rita with me too, then I placed them down by the nachos…" Despite nodding and focussing with a serious gaze, Gamma could tell that Dexter's attention was fixed on the plushie, eyeing it hungrily and the scientist was about to get himself into a lot of trouble. The final nail in the coffin came when Eduardo got to the tragic bit in which he'd found his friends' 'corpses', unbeknownst to the fact that Dexter was about to take a large chunk from one of Manuel's legs.

Without thinking, Gamma grabbed the head of a hose nozzle connected to a water tap, she turned the knob and then aimed it at Dexter, who was eagerly anticipating plushie flesh in a matter of seconds.

He received a mouthful of pressured water instead.

Gamma didn't know what Dexter hated more, the fact that he'd been doused with ice-cold liquid or the fact that Gamma had been the one who'd soaked him. Eduardo had kindly fetched a towel for Dexter and he wiped his reddening face as he began to sit in the driver's seat. "What the heck brought that on, Gamma?" He roared, his reaction a lot less scarier than Gamma had imagined. "That's not like you, perhaps we need to have a little 'chat' when we get back to the laboratory-" The bus slowed down in front of a rather badly-made 'Road Closed' sign. An arrow below the words pointed to a rough-looking path leading into the forest and Gamma watched the purple sky worriedly as Dexter ranted. "People these days, just because the monsters leave for a moment doesn't mean that the world can continue normally!" She listened to his fumes. "Honestly…"

The fallen tree blocking the path in front of them only made Dexter more steamed. The hairs on Gamma's neck stood up and a nagging feeling told her that something wasn't quite right, but she felt that Dexter was in no mood to talk, considering that he'd given her a firm glare to say 'stay put', before venturing outside. Gamma watched Dexter for a moment, trying to pull the tree off the road with his bare hands, but was failing miserably and then took an interest at the pencil-shaped base of the log. Funny, shouldn't it be splintered, like most trees were when they break away from their stumps… ?

Then a cold thought pulsed through Gamma's mind.

The tree had been _felled_, it hadn't fallen by itself!

"Having a little trouble, are we?" A snake-like voice asked slyly, prompting a girl in a gaudy shirt and a bland mini-skirt to slither from the growing shadows. Her raven hair tied back and her bony figure made her look as snide as snide can be. Dexter was startled, but upon seeing the girl he relaxed.

"Ah, Swift Falconblaze, thank goodness you were passing by," He greeted and returned to making an attempt to dislodge the tree trunk. "Do you think you could help me move this so that I can get back to the laboratory?"

Swift grabbed Dexter and slammed him violently against the wood. "Why'd you choose her?" She spat viciously. "Why'd you choose a coward like Gamma Areothunder when you could've had me?" Gamma, now aware that the crazy teen didn't know she was watching, stepped out of the bus quietly and aimed the Null Void gun at Swift.

"Put him down," She ordered, causing Swift to turn and face her. "Now." Then Swift sneered, walking over to Gamma with a pride-filled swagger.

"Gamma Areothunder…" She recalled, looming over her enemy. "Last I saw of you was when we shoved you into the boys' bathroom!" The taller girl swiped at Gamma's collar, making her cough as she held her by the throat. Dexter remained frozen to his spot, shaking wildly as the last traces of sun-light disappeared behind the horizon. Gamma's gaze became fearful and she began fighting against Swift's powerful grip.

"Let me go! You don't realise what you're doing!" She protested but received a slap from Swift's remaining hand.

"Belt it, loser," She hissed. "This is what no-nothings like you get for taking my man away from me!" The girl raised her hand, causing Gamma to flinch, expecting to feel a sharp throb of pain strike her face, but a groan from Dexter saved her from being hit again by Swift.

Dexter doubled over for a moment, then he let out a pain-filled scream and grabbed the tree trunk, lifting it as if it was a feather over his head. He stood, staring that the girls for a moment, miniscule compared to the wood he was holding and thrust it over the shocked onlookers, causing tremors as it landed somewhere in the distance. Then Dexter looked at his hands, now bloated and out of shape, twitching madly as the fingers began to merge and make it seem that he was wearing mittens. Beads of sweat dotted his brow as his loafers creaked and groaned as the transformation took place beneath leather, then a tag burst out from behind his back, inscribed with the words 'Made in China' printed in black.

By then Dexter's height had increased, and he grabbed his right ear as another tag folded out from the lobe, inscribed with the letter 'D'. Then his loafers finally gave in, exploding into shreds and unmasking over-stuffed plushie feet that had merged with the trousers. Then Dexter's screams escalated as he looked at his now changed body, then he swerved his head and howled with a melodic voice at the waning moon.

Swift, by then, had probably lost her voice from screaming so much in horror. She keeled over, having fainted from the amount of fear she had experienced, Gamma stayed where she was, paler than she'd ever been before. She had watched Dexter's face as he morphed, kept calm by his unchanging, but pain-filled, face. Then she tore her gaze away, unable to look at him directly any more. Dexter growled and jumped over the two figures below, landing gracefully in front of Gamma, then he turned and looked down at her. Gamma kept her head down, frightened out of her wits by the fact she was about to be mauled by a giant plushie which, at one stage, had been a normal teen. "Now Dexter," She pleaded. "We can talk this through, just because I made you mad a few moments ago doesn't mean that you can kill me in revenge!" Her begging went down on deaf ears as Dexter prepared to pounce. "Please," She cried, one last time as he lunged at her. "REMEMBER!"


	3. Chapter 3

Gamma screamed as Dexter lunged at her, ripping out her internal organs and forcing terror to turn to agony as he mauled her. Then he stormed off, leaving what remained of Gamma's entrails in a pool of blood…

Or, at the very least, that was what played through Gamma's mind as she shielded herself only to find that Dexter had leapt _over_ her rather than _at _her. She tore away from her arm and watched as he landed softly, his back turned to her, and fled into the shadows of the distance, leaving Gamma to play with her confusion. After looking back-and-forth towards the bus and the path ahead, she groaned and slapped her forehead, knowing what had to be done. "I'm mad," She grumbled as she entered the vehicle, dropped down into the driver's seat and started fiddling with the different gears. "Absolutely, stark-raving mad!" After a moment the bus spluttered into life and Gamma studied the path ahead, holding the steering-wheel tightly. "Please don't do anything stupid, Dexter." She begged and whirred off, hot on the pursuit of her friend.

Gamma kept an ear out, tracking Dexter by his howls, he seemed to be heading for unknown territory rather than somewhere like Genius Grove, more familiar territory, in other words. Soon enough, the bus decided that Eternal Vistas was as far as it could go, and choked the engine just outside of the entrance to the cemetery. "No, no, no!" Gamma shouted and kicked the side of her seat angrily only to yelp and hop about the bus clutching her throbbing foot, shouting out words like: "Why me? Why _me_?"

By then the moon was nearing the middle of the sky, watching Gamma as she climbed over the rusty fence that led to the bone yard and she drifted amongst the tombstones, constantly reminding herself that she was doing it to help Dexter rather than facing a phobia of the undead. She took out the Null Void gun and grasped it tightly as she looked up at the entrance gate with the word 'Endsville' grafted on it and shivered, forcing herself to enter the place she'd vowed never to put a foot in.

The sinister fog that blanketed Endsville almost blinded Gamma as she passed through evacuated streets, the empty buildings loomed over her as she wandered in a ghost-like fashion. Yet her fear kept a firm grasp, making the girl shake perhaps a little bit more than Dexter before he began to morph, and she took in the familiarity of the scene, the endless fog, chilling weather and the few monsters that prowled the streets. All of these things made Gamma recall a time when she stumbled upon a game known as-

"Ouch!" A voice yelped, causing Gamma to scream. She'd stopped paying attention to her sense of direction and had accidentally bumped into a lad who seemed much taller than herself. He rubbed his large nose and looked down at Gamma irritably. "Watch where ya' going, you coulda' hurt me!"

The remainder of the strength that had bubbled up when Gamma had faced up against Swift bit back. "Well, excuse me!" She replied as the boy adjusted his red baseball cap that covered ginger hair. "But you'd be in a hurry too if your friend had just gone on a rampage!"

Suddenly the boy froze, his white t-shirt with a blue line across the stomach creased as he stared. "A rampage?" He asked, brushing dirt from his worn out trousers and sneakers. "You mean like that really big plushie I saw jumping from house to house a while ago?" Gamma's eyes grew wide.

"You didn't happen to get a glimpse of what it looked like, did you?" She asked hopefully. The boy hesitated.

"No," He pointed to the left, indicating something shrouded by the fog. "But I saw it near the power station, it seemed really angry so we left as quickly as we could!" Then the boy looked around. "Oh no, hold on," He cupped his hands together and put them above his mouth, calling out into the darkness. "Runty, hurry up, we haven't got all night and we need to get back soon!" As if by magic, a small, tear-shaped blob bounded into view. It looked up at the boy with large, crimson eyes, body bouncing with green liquid and it chittered happily as it approached. Gamma backed away slowly, readying her weapon.

"A Fusion Spawn?" She cried. "Are you mad? That thing will eat us alive!" But the boy simply smiled as the blob looked at Gamma, then it squeaked and leapt up onto her face, licking it cheerfully.

"Awwww…" The boy cooed as he watched eagerly, ignoring Gamma's audible complaints and protests. "I'm Billy, by the way," He introduced himself and then pointed at the Fusion Spawn. "And this is my pal, Runty." Runty chirruped and jumped down from Gamma's drool-soaked face. She retched and attempted to get as much of the liquid off of her cheeks as she could.

"I'm Gamma Areothunder, one of Dexter's recruits," She replied, flicking the last of Runty's affectionate 'gesture' off. "But that's not the reason why I'm here, just so you know." Billy nodded as she spoke.

"Come to think of it," He looked back at where the power plant was. "That plushie I saw _did _look kinda like Dexter, only much taller and weirder 'cause it howled like a wolf!" As if on cue, a haunting howl sprang up in the distance and, in the process, sharpened Gamma's senses.

"I've got to stop Dexter before he gets himself killed!" She insisted and headed in the direction of the noise. "C'mon, you two, I'll explain the story along the way!"

Runty looked at Billy for a moment, then chittered. Billy shrugged his shoulders. "I dunno, Runty," He replied and began to follow Gamma's lead. "But whatever's going on here looks like fun, and I'm bored anyways, so let's go!"

Dexter snarled as he wandered around what had originally been an office block, his hunger long since satisfied and he looked at his surroundings desperately, searching for the girl that haunted his mind. He had encountered two girls in the woods, but one of the had hidden her gaze from him and it irritated Dexter that he hadn't managed to see if her eyes matched those of the dark, heavy ones that stalked his mind that seemed to ask: '_I've got a story to tell, please, won't you listen to it?'_

The wereplushie drew back his head and howled again, calling to the girl: _'I'm here, I'll listen to your story!'_ But only silence replied. Dexter whimpered, he didn't understand why the girl didn't howl back, didn't she _want _somebody to listen to her after all? None of it made sense…

"… And that's why I hate lemons, the end." A fairly familiar voice echoed in the distance, followed by an annoyed groan.

"Billy, are we there yet?" Dexter's ears perked up, instantly recognising the second voice. He leapt up onto the nearest house and followed the sounds of speech until his eyes fell upon two figures and a blob, wandering around on the streets below. He perched above them, eavesdropping curiously and had the feeling that he'd seen all three of them somewhere before.

Gamma sighed as Billy told the traumatic tale of how he gained a hatred towards all lemons… again. She looked around at derelict shops, trying to blot out the part in which Billy realised that the lemon he was playing with was, in fact, possessed by a ghost, so seeing a large, plushie-like figure dart across a small skyscraper seemed like a God-sent miracle to her. Gamma tapped Billy on his shoulders and pointed up at the figure. "Oh! I see it!" He exclaimed and picked up Runty, then he too pointed at the plushie. "Can you see it, Runty?" He petted the blob as the figure leapt above the trio. "Can you see the plushie getting bigger and bigger as I speak?" Gamma froze.

"Bigger and… bigger?" She looked up and almost immediately began to back away, for the plushie was hurtling straight towards her. All three screamed as the plushie landed, it reared its head and looked at Gamma with Dexter's gaze through the fog. Then Dexter turned to Billy, who had also decided to back away with Runty close behind, and roared louder than either of the trio had ever heard before in their lives. Upon instinct Gamma turned tail and fled. "Split up!" She shouted, unaware, that in a state of panic, Runty had begun bounding after her, just as terrified as his master was. Gamma wasn't sure, but she assumed that Billy would be safer than she was at the moment, for she glanced behind Runty to see Dexter on all fours, pursuing them quickly. "Head into the alleyways," She instructed. "Maybe we can lose him!" Runty chittered in response and the two of them entered the grimly, brick-walled labyrinth, occasionally looking back to make sure that they really were losing Dexter. Soon enough, he had disappeared entirely, causing Gamma to let out a sigh of relief. "Thank God…" But she soon regretted celebrating early, for as they turned the corner she nearly crashed into a dead end.

Then Runty turned and began to shake, stifling a high-pitched "Neep!" sound as both heard very determined growling from the path behind. Dexter soon emerged, snarling as he came towards Gamma, ignoring Runty and brushing him aside as he approached. The Fusion Spawn rushed over to Gamma and hid behind her, shivering timidly as she attempted to raise her line of sight.

"Dexter," She pleaded. "You can fight this," Her eyes locked onto Dexter's swivelling shoulders. "Mauling me in the most painful and unimaginable way will not help the situation get any better," Dexter still prowled towards Gamma, now only seven steps away from her. As she brought her gaze to rest upon the lower-half of the wereplushie's face she realised that defeat was unavoidable, so, using what little courage she had left, Gamma forced herself to stare directly at Dexter's eyes. "Won't you listen to me?" She begged one last time. "… Please?"

Dexter suddenly halted.

For a brief moment Gamma feared that the plushie was preparing to pounce upon her, but after a few moments of looking at each other she began to change her mind. Dexter breathed heavily, his chest inflating and deflating as he stayed fixed to where he was standing, then he watched as Gamma unwillingly walked very slowly towards him. Her heart pounded, almost as if it was about to burst out through her skin and she almost yelped when Dexter rose up on two feet. He looked down at Gamma, nearly a head-and-a-half taller than her, as she finally stopped in front of him and, now that he wasn't moving, Gamma began to see the features she'd missed when she'd seen Dexter changed. His cheeks were adorned with two ovals of pink felt that made him look like as if he was permanently blushing, then there was his nostril-less nose that seemed cat-like and cute. But his eyes were what won Gamma over, they had changed from being narrow and serious, in fact they looked… brighter than in Dexter's human form, almost child-like and glittered with a gentle gaze.

She then decided to raise her right hand, heading towards Dexter's face, and expected him to suddenly roar and rip her arm off. But Dexter remained still, watching Gamma's fingers quietly as they almost touched the felt on his cheek…

"… AYAAAHHHHHH!" Dexter looked up just in time to see Billy screaming a war-cry and landed on the plushie's shoulders, covering the wereplushie's eyes with one of his arms. Dexter roared and Gamma ran back to Runty as Billy, using his spare hand, grabbed what appeared to be a very old wedge of cheese from his pockets and shoved it in front of Dexter's nose. After a millisecond of taking the foul stench that radiated from the wedge Dexter heaved a groan and teetered, throwing Billy off as he fell to the ground, knocked completely unconscious. "Wow!" Billy exclaimed as he got up. "I didn't even know I could do that!"

Gamma looked at the cheese in Billy's hand, it looked _very _familiar and she couldn't help but feel that she'd seen it before. "Uh, Billy?" She began, trying to dig into the depths of her mind to try and find any memories that could help. "How did you come across that wedge of cheese?"

Billy showed Gamma the piece of putrid parmesan. "What, this thing?" He examined it for a moment. "Well… a few weeks ago some kid called Double-D wanted me to collect some green goo from Mount Blackhead," He recalled. "I don't know why he wanted me to, but I was bored so I accepted," Billy shrugged his shoulders. "Y'know what the goo is called, Fusion Matter, or something like that… so anyways, I was wanderin' around, getting as much goo as I can, when I saw this-" He pointed to the cheese. "-Lyin' on the ground, so I picked it up and here it is."

Gamma returned to Dexter's body and thrust an arm underneath his chest, then she hauled him onto her shoulders, attempting to carry him with the knowledge that she needed to get Dexter back so that he could be protected from any potential witnesses. Billy joined her, putting the cheese away and Runty escorted them, making sure that no monsters could ambush them. The rusty sign which Gamma had tensed up at began to become visible about an hour or so after the events in the alleyways. "Thanks for the help," She said while checking to see if Dexter was stirring. Billy blushed for a moment as they stood behind the entrance to Endsville. "I'll be fine from here," Then a question crossed Gamma's mind. "By the way, why the heck were you out here at this time of night, don't you need sleep like the rest of us do?"

Billy smiled and looked at Runty. "I've been like this for a long time, it's 'cause Runty here needs lots of exercise considerin' he doesn't run after people and eat them like other Fusion Spawns do," He beamed at the bouncing blob. "Ever since most of the scary monsters went away we've gone out, and we've walked and walked, and it's awesome!" The trio said their good-byes and parted ways, but not before Runty turned back, giving Gamma one last understanding look and followed his master back into the fog. Then Gamma dragged her friend all the way back to the bus, only to realise that the engine had died out on her only a little while ago.

"Well," She groaned and leaned against the side of the vehicle. "I'm screwed…" The girl turned and kicked the side of the bus angrily before jumping in surprise as the hunk of metal coughed, seeming to be resurrected. Then there was the next big problem: Getting Dexter through the doors when he was not only taller than the entrance, but also bigger in size due to being over-stuffed with so much plushie-filling inside his inhuman stomach. Eventually, after many shoves, Gamma managed to prop Dexter across the first row of seats and sank down into the driver's seat, keeping an eye on her friend in case he regained consciousness before the long drive back to Tech Square.

… But yet, Gamma couldn't find the fear she had brought up against Dexter as he'd chased after her.

Not, at least, after the encounter in the alleyways…

The navy sky was just beginning to turn pale when Gamma finally halted at Dexlabs HQ, the simple-looking building where Dexter lived. She grabbed the wereplushie and stared up at the radar on top of the lab before heading over to the medical clinic to, at the very minimum, give Dexter the chance to change back in peace. He was just beginning to stir when Gamma left him, heading back to her room in the dormitories for those who didn't have anywhere to go at night and as she entered the place she called home she went over to the desk where the well-loved panther plushie now sat. Looking at the alarm clock, which read 3:48 (in other words: not a good time to clock off work, either), Gamma picked up a photo frame and looked at two adults smiling down at a podgy, little girl, her parents and her nine-year old self, no doubt. Her mother, just as plump as she was, with fair hair, glasses and in a very nice black cardigan and her father, a dark-haired man with a beard, clad in an office shirt and a look that reminded Gamma of Dexter.

'_So, how do you like your new laptop?'_

The memory played in Gamma's head like a record.

'_Oh, it's so cool! I never thought I'd ever have a better computer than yours, Dad!'_

'_I'm glad, sweetie.'_

'_I'm really thankful, my desktop won't play the game, it's so addicting!'_

'_Game? What do you mean?'_

'_I mean Fusionfall, Dad, it's one of those MMORPGs featuring characters from Cartoon Network shows!'_

She put the frame down so that she couldn't see the family any more, then she wiped her tears and flopped down on the bed, sobbing quietly until she drifted off to sleep.

It was Gamma's audible snoring that woke up her neighbours about forty seconds later.


	4. Chapter 4

The following morning graced Gamma in the form of her alarm clock blaring rudely into her ear, making her dull eyes shoot open and it tore her away from her dreams. She moaned, knowing that she'd only gotten about four hours of sleep on both nights before the present day and pulled herself away from her bed. Gamma looked at the panda-like shadows around her eye-lids in a mirror she often hid under her pillow and rubbed her head, suddenly recalling the events in the alleyways. Then worry hit her like lightning, had Dexter been found as a plushie? Had he left the medical bay before changing back? Was he now at the mercy of the other recruits who could possibly be forming a blood-thirsty mob as Gamma asked herself all of these questions? She forgot all about the need to go back to sleep very quickly and made her way over to the medical ward, praying that Dexter hadn't gotten himself into trouble.

The prayer was soon answered, for Gamma almost instantly caught sight of the white lab-coat that was hunched over a messed up bed, probably one that the boy genius had taken slumber in the night before. Then he raised his head and turned, causing Gamma to step back, but it wasn't Dexter's furious gaze nor his clenched fists that planted fresh worry in the equally as tired girl's mind.

It was the very familiar looking throw-tag that hung from a pair of felt, plushie-like ears that caught Gamma by surprise. "Well?" Dexter asked, unaware of the new addition to his appearance. "Where were you last night?"

Gamma hesitated. "You don't remember, do you?" She watched the scientist's eyes narrow.

"… 'Don't remember'? What do you mean 'don't remember'?" He attempted to approach Gamma crossly. "We went back after you so rudely sprayed me with ice-cold hose water!" Gamma stepped back even further, unable to cope with her friend's fuming rage for much longer. She soon realised that she had to show Dexter what remained of his plushie form and caught sight of a little hand mirror, similar to her own, resting on one of the many cabinets beside the hospital beds and shielded herself with it.

"Dexter, look at yourself!" She ordered and heard Dexter scoff.

"Gamma, don't be silly, there's nothing wrong with my…" Upon hearing him trail off Gamma felt a lump of guilt build up in her throat, and it only got worse when Dexter's voice rose up in a cry of disbelief. "No…" She felt him take the mirror from her hands and stared at his reflection. "No… no! No! No! No! No!" Tear welled up in his eyes as he set the mirror down on the mattress nearest to him and slumped down on it too, covering his face with his hands.

After a few moments of watching Dexter sob Gamma began to return to his side. "Dexter… ?" She took the chance to place a hand on her friend's shoulders, making him look up to her sadly.

"Oh, Gamma," Dexter cried. "What am I going to do? I don't want to change into a plushie every night for the rest of my life!" Gamma put an arm around his back sympathetically and lowered her gaze. It was all her fault, had she not gotten herself separated from Dexter then maybe he wouldn't be going through so much agony as he was being forced through now. She should've just kept quiet and her mouth completely shut, then maybe Dexter wouldn't have been bitten in the first place.

"Um…" A voice that Gamma recalled very vaguely. "Is this a bad time for me to be here?" Both of them looked up to see Billy, who had entered the room with Runty perched on his shoulders. Dexter almost immediately covered the tag with his hand, attempting to hide it shamefully. "I've already seen that doohickey in your ear, if it helps…"

"Billy helped me stop your rampage last night, you see," Gamma explained, backing Billy up with her own evidence. "He helped out a lot, trust me."

Dexter, now reassured by the others, slowly took his palm away from the tag in the knowledge that nobody else would ever see him like this again-

"DEXTER!" A pink blur darted through the doors and embraced Dexter, revealing itself to be Dee Dee. "I'm so glad you're okay!" She wailed. "Billy told me what happened and I wanted to make sure you hadn't been hurt!"

Dexter's eyes widened and he looked over at Billy. "You told her?" Billy began twiddling his thumbs and he laughed nervously.

"Uh… Yeah, about that," Runty looked just as tense as his master was. "Well, you see, um… how can I explain this?"

"That's enough, Billy," A firm voice reassured as it opened slowly. Double-D emerged, followed by Eddy and Numbah Five from the corridor outside. "I'll explain things from here," Dexter began to reach for his ear, preparing to hide the tag again, but Double-D stopped him. "You don't have to hide it, Dexter, Billy told me everything," Then he shot a glare at Eddy. "But preventing Eddy from grabbing a camera to try and capture photographic proof that wereplushies actually exist was tough enough on it's own."

Eddy shrugged. "Well a guy's gotta make a living somehow!"

"Then they came over to me and told me everything, too," Numbah Five joined in. "Dee Dee was listenin' too, so she came along just to see if you were okay, Dex," She smiled at Dexter as his confidence returned. "We've all come together so that we can help find a cure for you!"

Dexter looked at his friends for a brief moment. "Are you all absolutely _sure _you want to help me that much?" Everybody nodded, eager to get started. "Very well then," He stood up and turned to Numbah Five and Double-D. "You two can help me with research, who knows, there could be something useful out there," Dexter then addressed Billy and Dee Dee. "I need you two to guard the entrance, the last thing we need is a psychotic mob of fan-girls watching us work!"

"And what about me?" Eddy asked, slightly annoyed that he hadn't been mentioned yet. Dexter pondered.

"Um… Eddy, you can distract anybody who manages to get past Billy and Dee Dee," He caught onto Eddy's annoyed face before the scammer could even show it. "If anybody we can't trust gets in, then you are our last line of defence, can you do this for me?"

Eddy nodded, then it was Gamma's turn to feel left out.. "Dexter," She whispered. "What about me?" Dexter looked at her for a moment.

"I need you," He began and touched Gamma's hand for a second. "To stay with me and give me the full details about what happened last night."

Gamma turned scarlet and felt Dexter's hand leave her grasp, then she followed him, unable to suss out the meaning of his words.

"Darn! There's nothing on wereplushies here!" Numbah Five groaned and slammed a fist down on the desk she was sitting at, scanning a computer monitor as she explored the internet. The operations had moved away from the medical clinic to the research sector of the lab at the back of the building, far away from public eye as possible. "Found anything, Double-D?"

Double-D sighed as he read another computer monitor showing information on monster sightings next to Numbah Five. "I've found nothing too, and the last site nearly gave me a Trojan!" Then he glanced over to where Dexter was asking Gamma questions at the back of the room. "I just hope that Gamma can provide us with something helpful, considering she's encountered Dexter in his plushie form first-hand…"

"… What exactly happened when I cornered you and Runty in the alleyway?" Dexter asked to a very drowsy Gamma, who was trying to stay awake frantically.

"Let me think…" She replied, closing her eyes slowly. "… I pleaded to you to stop… then I forced myself to look at you directly in the eyes… then you stopped…" She hadn't realised that she'd missed out most of the detail. "… And… and… and then Billy fell upon you from the top of the walls and knocked you unconscious."

Dexter pondered. "Did Billy use any sort of weapon against me?"

Gamma's mind brought out the wedge of cheese in her memory. "Billy used a wedge of very old cheese to knock you out by making you take in the putrid stench of the terrible thing," She didn't see Double-D's head turn, his eyes wide with shock. "He claimed that he'd come across it near Mount Blackhead, just a few miles away from the forest, in fact."

Double-D got up from his seat. "Dexter, may I please have a word with Billy for a moment?" He asked, voice jumpy with tension. Dexter gave Double-D a nod and Numbah Five threw her hands up in frustration as the other researcher left the room.

"The internet just died!" She moaned and turned to Dexter. "Don't you have any time to invent a better kind of internet connection, or somethin'?" Dexter glared at Numbah Five.

"I would…" He replied. "IF I WASN'T TRYING TO SAVE THE WORLD FROM BEING CONSUMED BY PLANET FUSION ALL OF THE TIME!" Both Gamma and Numbah Five flinched at Dexter's aggravated tone of voice.

"Whoa, Dex," Numbah Five pleaded, slightly shocked. "I was just tryin' to lighten the mood a little."

Dexter sighed. "I'm sorry," He apologised and lowered his head. "I'm just… worried, that's all…" The boy genius looked at the two girls sadly. "I'm scared that we're going to find out that there's no cure at all."

For once, Dexter looked absolutely defeated, and the fact that he'd never said that he was scared before caused the stab of guilt to pierce Gamma once more. "Maybe we can cure you with a more traditional method," She suggested, attempting to make herself useful. "When the internet boots up again try looking up cures that claim to work on werewolves and see where that takes us." Dexter lifted his head, beginning to feel hopeful again.

"That's not a bad idea," He turned to Numbah Five. "You think we could try that?" Numbah Five nodded and then, about five minutes later, the internet decided to play nice again.

"Did I miss anything important?" Double-D asked as he came back into the room, prompting Dexter and Gamma to come over to the two monitors.

"Gamma suggested trying out methods that could cure werewolves," Dexter replied as he scanned the text on the screen. "Maybe one that we find could work on wereplushies too-_ah! _What about that one?" He pointed at a small chunk of words. Numbah Five gasped.

"Silver?" She looked at Dexter. "Are you crazy? The only way that silver can cure werewolves is if they're stabbed or shot by it!"

"Read further," Dexter instructed. "It says that wearing silver in human form could be enough to prevent transformations at night."

All three looked at Gamma, who suddenly felt intimidated. "Well don't look at me!" She protested. "I never set a foot near jewellery!"

The looks turned on Numbah Five, who pointed at Gamma. "What she said," She folded her arms calmly. "Numbah Five don't wear jewellery anyways." All four of them pondered for a moment before Dexter rushed to the door.

"Uh… Dee Dee, can I speak with you for a moment, please?"

It took several tries, but Dexter eventually managed to convince his sister not only to give him some silver jewellery, but also managed to get Dee Dee to sacrifice some of her plushies for his 'experiments'. Gamma found herself gazing at Dexter in front of a glass screen, one of his experimentation rooms, and looked at his neck that had become adorned with a silver-and-pink, heart-shaped pendant. "You ready?" Numbah Five called, preparing to launch a purple dog-plushie into the exhibit. Dexter nodded and she hurled the poor toy through the entrance and slammed it shut.

Gamma didn't know how many seconds passed, but she managed to catch the blur that was Dexter as he lunged at the doomed plushie. Numbah Five sighed and slapped her forehead while Gamma shrugged, watching toy entrails hit the glass like blood. "Well," She joked. "At least the pendant looks good on him."

The next attempts followed the same generic pattern, the methods getting more and more absurd as Dexter tried out ointments, metals and even eating different kinds of cotton in the hopes that it would act like wolfbane remedies until Dee Dee refused to let her sibling set one foot near her toys any longer. "Perhaps we should all take a break," Double-D suggested, sensing frayed nerves in the air. "Maybe we just need time to think things through clearly, yes?"

Almost immediately Gamma headed to the roof-top, the one place she could always go to if she needed to cry or rest in peace, and welcomed the cool blasts of Autumn air on her face. She walked over to the middle of the floor and looked up wistfully at the pale-purple sky…

"Hey." Gamma whipped around to see Dexter approaching. She glanced at the heavens nervously.

"I'd be careful if I were you," She warned. "It's nearly dark…"

Dexter shrugged. "I'm sure we'll be okay out here," He smiled. "And besides, I'll make sure I'm in a place I can't break out of when I change, I promise." Gamma still felt unsure, she lowered her gaze quietly. "Why aren't you looking at me?" She turned to face her friend.

"I'm scared," She whispered. "I feel like as if this is all my fault, and I'm the one that should be punished for all the pain you're going through-"

"Don't say that!" Dexter protested, putting his hands on Gamma's shoulders. "You can't be blamed, I was the one who wanted to know what that beast was doing out at the cul-de-sac in the first place," Gamma sighed, but Dexter's hands became tighter. "Gamma," He insisted. "You have a story to tell, a story that people never wanted to listen to, so much so that you cried out to anybody for their ears," She began to look up at her friend, reaching his shoulders. "Well…" Dexter spread his arms out wide. "Now's your chance."

"… I…" Gamma faltered, unsure where to start. "The other girls have always been mean to me, partly because we all like you a lot and partly because of my appearance," She forced herself to relive the memories. "But the main reason why the girls make fun of me is because I'm…" Gamma raised her head with her eyes closed, planning to allow Dexter to see into the soul hidden underneath eye-lids and showing the scientist the truth as she opened her windows into the world.

But the scenario never happened.

"Come on," Dexter coaxed, unaware that his cheeks had turned unusually pink. "Don't be nervous, you can tell me!"

Gamma began to back away. "We need to get you locked up," She ordered. "Now." Her instructions came too late, for Dexter doubled over once more, now at the mercy of the navy sky. He raised his head and looked at Gamma one last time.

"Warn the others and get away from me as soon as you can!" Then he screamed, unable to keep the transformation at bay any longer. Gamma bolted, thundering down the corridors before encountering Eddy, who had probably been sent to fetch the duo.

"Don't go up there!" She warned, making Eddy turn very wary.

"Is he… ?" He asked, and within a second a haunting howl answered his question. Eddy then followed Gamma, running as fast as legs could carry and Gamma's eyes fell upon the others, waiting for the group to reform. Double-D was the first to spot Gamma and Eddy.

"What's the matter?" He asked. Gamma skidded to a halt in front of the group.

"Dexter's changing," She huffed out, bringing terrified looks to the others. "He told me to get you guys out of here as soon as-" Her words were silenced, for a familiar growl made Gamma turn to see a large, mitten-like hand as it grabbed the walls of the corner. Dee Dee's eyes brimmed with tears.

"No…" She gasped, weeping with fear. "Dexter… no, no, no!" Dexter emerged in front of the group, now completely a plushie, looming over them with startling authority and snarling as he approached.

"Holy cra-" Eddy shouted, but the rest of his words were drowned out as Dexter roared, then the wereplushie's eyes locked onto Gamma, prompting her to panic.

"Scatter!" She shouted and, in the same state as she was, the group broke up, leaving Gamma to face Dexter on her own. She headed towards the entrance lobby of the lab, hoping to trap him as the plushie charged after her on all fours. Gamma followed the signs until the corridors suddenly expanded into a hotel-like reception area and saw the glass doors, darting over to them and found herself in a frenzy of trying to tear them open so that she could escape. The lock wouldn't budge, making Gamma say a few words that couldn't be printed on paper. "Not now of all times!" She turned to see Dexter pull his way into the room. "Oh, darn it!" She groaned. "I'm really bad at this 'escaping' business…"

Gamma suddenly recalled the events of the previous night, and, to her relief, Dexter halted as soon as she made eye contact with him. She watched as he got to his feet, observing her as she began to walk, this time with more confidence, over to repeat her gestures that had been left unfulfilled. Stretching out her hand, Gamma began to feel unsure, she still half-expected Dexter to rip her arm off, but he remained in his place as his eyes followed her fingers, examining how they almost touched his cheek…

A second later, Gamma had been introduced to something she'd never encountered before.

Her palm cupped around Dexter's face, feeling the softness she'd failed to reach previously, and at last was relieved of her fears. Gamma's eyes welled up with tears, now in the knowledge that she wasn't in any danger and bit her lip to stop a sob from escaping her throat, Dexter began to whimper, sensing her emotions. He dabbed at Gamma's face with his clumsy hands, attempting to wipe her tears, and then Gamma caved in, wrapping her hands around his back in thanks. She buried her head into his warm chest, breathing heavily.

Dexter remained silent for a moment, unsure how to respond, but then he held his friend close as she wept, unable to stop tears falling from his face as well. "… Please," He suddenly begged, his voice slightly lower than before and almost child-like. "Gamma, please don't be scared," Gamma looked up at Dexter, wide-eyed, caught unaware by his ability to speak. "You don't have to be frightened any more, I'm here, I'll protect you."

To Gamma, seeing Dexter talk like a child seemed strange, but she became more relaxed. "We need to find the others and tell them you're okay," She began, recollecting herself. "At least you're not dangerous-" Dexter became distressed.

"Dangerous? I'm not dangerous! I just wasn't sure that you were a threat or not, that's all!" He placed his hands on Gamma's shoulders gently. "I'm sorry," He apologised. "I… I'm still scared."

Gamma began to blush as she took one of his hands fondly. "I do understand," She watched as Dexter turned scarlet as well. "Besides, you actually look kinda cute, in my opinion!"

"Really?" Dexter's eyes grew bright as he began to smile. Gamma nodded and the two looked at each other nervously.

"How cute," A snide voice laughed, cutting through the moment. A girl had entered the lobby, her emerald eyes sharper than daggers and she fondled her long, golden hair. "It seems that the beauty-" She looked at Dexter. "-Has fallen in love with the beast!" Gamma's eyes dulled as the girl fixed a cold gaze that could stop a clock onto her imperfect body. Dexter growled, but seemed bewildered.

"… Luce?"


	5. Chapter 5

**Note:**

Well, this is the climax leading to the end, and I've noticed I've got a fair amount of viewers (I didn't even think I'd get any, so 100+ is a real achievement for me :3) so if there's anything that you'd like to say to me then review. Also, if you want to ask me anything then PM me and I'd be happy to answer, don't be shy! I'll give you a cookie if you do!

Hope you've enjoyed 'The Stitching' so far, but the final bit of this tale is going to be posted on Halloween itself because it seems fitting to me (and also because college has dished out homework up to my neck for half-term, woo-hoo… :P).

As I said, hope you like the story, and review if you feel so inclined, but I do need reviews, or I'll starve… :(.

Luce stood tall over Gamma, despite her notable distance from the duo, with striking intimidation. Her grey shirt, limp across the sleeves, clung to her body as she approached while her black trousers and boots were scathed in several places, possibly from previous fights with others, as she strode casually. Dexter stood in front of Gamma, defending her with hulking power. "Don't take another step," He warned, snarling. "You're not my partner any more, Luce, and you know that!"

Luce rolled her eyes. "Nice to see you too," She glared at Gamma. "You really need to invent a better internet connection," The girl examined her fingers in the same, smug way that Father did. "Hacking into your system used to be hard, but now it's a snap."

The hairs on Gamma's neck stood up as Dexter growled. "That's not possible," He insisted. "I took your laptop away when I kicked you out of the lab." Luce laughed with a cat-like voice.

"In this dimension, perhaps…" She played with her hair again for a moment. "But haven't you noticed how the other girls seem, oh, I don't know…. Robotic? Generic?" Luce's eyes locked onto Gamma cruelly. "… Dead?"

Dexter lowered his gaze, trying to mask the truth of Luce's words. "What…" He faltered, unsure where she was going with her language. "What do you mean?"

"You don't get it, do you?" Luce sneered, her shadow darker than coal. "You don't get why you thought I was so different," Gamma began to sweat as her rival spoke. "Ever heard of a place called 'Reality'?"

Dexter glared. "Yes," His voice was stern. "This _is _reality, how can you claim that there is another when you have no proof of it?" He received a smirk from Luce.

"I'm not the only one who knows of Reality," She replied calmly. "There have been others who know of such a place, and a lot of them work for you."

Dexter didn't seem scared at all. "Well then, where are they?" He clenched his fists tightly. "I certainly don't see any of them here!" Luce suddenly laughed again.

"What do you mean?" She pointed directly at Gamma. "There's one right behind you." Dexter turned to his friend, who, by then, become pale with fear.

"Is this… true?" Tears welled up in Gamma's eyes as her protector asked her a difficult question.

Then slowly, yet surely…

She nodded guiltily.

Luce walked past Dexter, then she whipped around and slammed her fist down onto his arm, causing the wereplushie to roar in pain. Upon instinct Gamma lunged at Luce, grabbing her shirt, and felt something hidden underneath the fabric that was probably a necklace of some kind. She gritted her teeth as Luce tore away, feeling whatever she'd grab cut into her skin and realised that Dexter had been the one who pulled her away from her enemy. "There she is!" Luce screeched, her lingerie only just showing where her shirt had been torn. "I've cornered her! Come here!" At first, nothing, but then stands of fan-girls emerged from the corridors, brandishing weapons and yelling angrily. Then Luce stood up like a dictator and pointed accusingly at Gamma. "Get her," She ordered. "Destroy her for what she's done, changing poor Dexter into a plushie like this!"

Dexter placed himself in front of Gamma and flashed a look at her. "Go, get out of here!"

Gamma backed away as the pressure began to build against her closest friend. "B-B-But what about you?" Her tears more powerful than ever before.

"Don't worry about me, just find the others and get out of here!" Dexter growled as he began to give in. "Now go!"

Gamma's watery eyes stole one last look at the wereplushie and then charged at the glass doors, causing them to shatter as she broke through and fled into the night.

Meanwhile, Dexter began to swerve. The tranquilliser Luce had slammed into his body beginning to take effect.

Gamma's lungs felt like as if they were on fire as she bolted from the angry mobs that had decided to follow her rather than stay with Dexter. She darted into the alleyways without thinking and soon skidded to a halt when faced up against yet another dead end. "Why does this keep happening to me?" Gamma groaned and faced the approaching crowd, her brow laced with lace-like sweat. The fan-girls babbled, firing insults at Gamma and readying weapons, signalising to her that the end was very near. She looked up to the heavens and pleaded. "If there's somebody up there, I could use a miracle right now!"

Suddenly the girls turned their heads and stared up at the sky, eyeing something above Gamma's line of sight. A tall figure, clad in a green jacket and blue jeans, had climbed up onto the wall behind their target, who then leapt down, his yellow skin glistening in the moonlight. He gave Gamma a reassuring glance with kind, black eyes and stared at the attackers, his mono-brow firm and his buzz-cut hair in need of a wash. Compared to everybody else, the figure was incredibly tall, and he fumbled around his pockets to pull out something from his pockets and held it up against the crowd. It was the fact that the item looked like a very old wedge of cheese that made Gamma gasp, but she held her breath, realising what was about to happen as the mob began to cough. Then slowly, one-by-one, the females fell like dominoes until only the figure and Gamma remained. The figure turned back to the person that he'd saved, revealing that he was probably only a little bit older than herself, and gave her a goofy grin. "Hello, my name is Ed."

Gamma couldn't believe her eyes. "Ed?" She examined his badly torn, red-and-white striped shirt underneath the jacket. "Where the heck did you come from?"

Ed pointed at the walls. "I was up there and came down because I saw you in trouble-" He showed Gamma the wedge. "-I could've used Angus, but Sheldon Junior is more powerful against mobs."

"Right…" Gamma replied, making the fact that she didn't quite understand Ed's explanation. "Anyways, I'm Gamma, one of Dexter's friends," Ed's eyes grew wide when her heard her name. "But, as you can probably tell, things have gone a little bit wild here."

"I remember!" Ed exclaimed and took out what appeared to be a very grimy newspaper article. "Peek-a-boo, I see you!" Gamma looked at a photo of the group as they rushed Dexter into the lab, with her trailing behind Numbah Five. "I found it on the ground and I cannot believe I saved a celebrity like in this photo!"

The two of them left the passageways and travelled in shadows as Gamma explained to Ed what had happened over the past few days. The new cohort seemed to pay attention to every word that she spoke. "… And that's when you came in," She finished as they entered Galaxy Gardens, a place where skyscrapers stood against lush plains, now the nests of Fusion Monsters. "But I'm pretty much stumped," Gamma hung her head as they walked passed a few uninfected shrubs. "I don't have any idea where the others are, and for all I know Dexter could be in agony as we speak!" Ed suddenly looked at Gamma's knuckles nervously.

"Um…" He pointed at her fist. "Your hand is bleeding, did that mob hurt you?" Gamma raised her hand to her line of sight and became pale at the sight of crimson threads dripping slowly through her fingers. Upon gracing the cut on her palm Gamma relaxed, knowing that the blood had nearly dried out around the wound, but then studied the heart-shaped locked she had grabbed from Luce's chest. Upon opening it, Gamma found herself looking at a slightly younger version of Dexter's head and shoulders, but then lowered her gaze, not really surprised by the photo. "Here." Ed offered Gamma a handkerchief, but she declined it after seeing the stains of dirt, ancient gumball remains and lord-knows-what-else clutching the fabric.

The sudden sounds of rustling leaves made both of them turn to the bush beside their conversation, only for Gamma to topple over as an oh-certain green blob exploded from the twigs, yapping joyously as if he was a little terrier. "Runty!" Billy's voice scolded above the mayhem. "You've blown our cover!" Runty licked Gamma's face as his master emerged, then he too noticed her as she struggled against the happy Fusion Spawn. "Gamma!" He celebrated, hugging Gamma before pulling Runty away from her. "Thank goodness you're alive! We thought you was dead!"

"… 'We'?" Gamma asked as she heaved herself up. Billy nodded and whistled at somebody in the foliage, who turned out to be Dee Dee as Gamma recognised the torn and dust-stained dress as she came out into the open. The blonde girl's eyes glittered and she too ran over to Gamma when she saw the exhausted escapist.

"Gamma! Boy am I glad to see you!" Dee Dee cried. "We got lost and then some of Dexter's fans tried to get us-" She stopped when her line of sight met Ed, who smiled and waved at her.

"Long time, no see!" He greeted to his shocked cohorts. "Oh! Have you seen Eddy? I have to give back something that I can't remember borrowing from him." At least there was the comfort that Ed hadn't changed… much. The group decided to travel a little further, steering clear of the monsters that stalked the streets, and eventually set up camp between two, large skyscrapers that hadn't been claimed by Fusions yet.

"So, Ed," Billy began as everybody huddled around a small fire that Dee Dee had made using chemicals she had stolen from the lab (she only did it for emergencies… or so she told them). "What the heck happened to you, anyways?"

Ed pondered, his skin softened by the glow of the flames. "I was running away from May, who wanted to kissy-face me, and then I ended up in this jungle on Mount Blackhead," He smiled wistfully. "I was so happy there, but everybody tried to convince me to come back, and they'd drop really cool things like lasers, armour and-" Ed showed them the newspaper article that he'd shown Gamma earlier. "-Stuff like this!"

"Wait a second," Dee Dee cut in. "Why'd you come back when you liked living in the jungle?" Ed dug around in his jacket again and pulled out a comic book.

"This is one of my favourite comics!" He pointed at the title on the creased cover. "It's called 'The Stitching', a classic about a scientist who goes into a forest and gets bitten by a wereplushie, so every night he changes into a plushie until he finds a cure!" The excitement on Ed's face grew quickly. "Somebody had told me that there'd been sightings of a wereplushie in Endsville, so I came back, but then I got lost and found you guys instead!"

The others nodded in new understanding and sat in silence, then slowly, but curiously, the four pairs of eyes turned towards Gamma, who had begun to take slumber out of exhaustion. Eventually it was Dee Dee who managed to pluck up the courage to ask her. "Gamma?" Gamma's eyes flickered open dully. "Where do you come from?"

The copper-haired girl almost immediately became alert as her mind fell across her past. She glanced at the others nervously. "It's… hard for me to explain," She began slowly. "But you mustn't tell anybody we can't trust about what you hear, got it?" The others nodded. "Very well," Gamma focussed, slipping into a different life. "It all began about two years ago…"

_October, 23rd__, 2008_

I flopped into my cream bedroom, exhausted by the work I had done at my drama classes, and crawled up onto my warm, soft bed. It had been another great day with my friends, my education and my life and I celebrated my victories mentally. I had overcome so much since college began: My fear of social life, my inability to state my needs and even, to a certain extent, the problems I had with loud noises. In, fact, I'd never been happier in all of my life!

Then the realisation that I was wasting time hit me and I proceeded to take out a black laptop as well as a very well loved panther plushie and I studied the soft toy as the web loaded up. The panther had been a gift from a very close friend of mine who had recently died in a car crash, I can say that losing her was hard… but that won't stop me from moving on… at the very least…

A sharp 'bleep' signalled that the laptop was done and I eyed the logo on the web-page eagerly, looking at a young boy with ginger hair, clad in a lab coat and adjusting his glasses in front of the word 'Fusionfall' in bold, metallic letters. The boy's smile always made me feel good, so I went downstairs to make some coffee, and then eagerly entered the game.

I don't know how long I played for, but I knew that by the time I'd reached Fusion Dexter's lair my caffeine-loaded beverage had gone cold. Taking in a deep breath, I brought out Nano Eddy to keep my health up with the Jawbreakers he used to prevent me from dying, and charged, grabbing Fusion Dexter's attention through glowing scarlet eyes. He swiped at me as we danced in battle, ensuing cries of determination from my voice, before he slumped down, defeated.

I roared in victory as I grabbed the chilled coffee, cheering wildly, completely unaware that the mug was slipping from my grasp until-

WHAM!

Sparks flew from my caffeine-covered laptop, and within a second victory turned to panic as my drink spilled all over the machine. I cussed, and in my state of frenzy, attempted to grab the laptop, receiving a fairly nasty jolt of electricity as the monitor began to radiate with beckoning light.

Then I looked at my hands.

For a moment I stared in shock, unaware that the light was about to engulf me, as I examined my now very pixel-like hands. They were so computer-like that they reminded me of-

I began to weep, confused and afraid by my Fusionfall-like hands.

I was so frightened that I couldn't even move away from the light as it swallowed me, taking me away from everything I had ever known…

"… And that's it," Gamma finished, her eyes bright with tears. "I ended up in Tech Square, and thankfully the security system recognised me to be one of Dexter's workers, so I got free accommodation…" She sobbed and held her knees. "But every night I remember the parents who's daughter disappeared without a trace," Runty snuggled up next to Gamma sadly as she cried. "They must think I've run away, or been kidnapped, or…" The rest was drowned out by homesick whimpers. Dee Dee approached her and hugged her, eyes watering in sympathy.

Billy, who had been motionless the whole time, blew up in a flurry of snot and tears. "That… is… the saddest… thing… I've ever… heard!" He wailed as Ed put his arm around Gamma's back, pouting.

"Aw… don't feel sad!" He brought out Sheldon Junior. "Sheldon Junior will make you feel aaall better!" Billy's eyes became large as the group recovered.

"You have some cheese too?" He asked and took out his wedge of cheese. Ed gasped.

"Herbert!" And the two girls and the Fusion Spawn watched as the boys compared wedges. "So it was _you _who found Herbert!" Ed exclaimed. "Herbert likes to travel, so he doesn't stay with me and Sheldon Junior much," He turned to the girls, his face beaming. "Guys, this is Herbert, Sheldon Junior's long-lost, half-brother!" He gestured to Billy's wedge of cheese. Then a thought crossed Gamma's mind.

"What do you think happened to the others?" She asked, causing looks of worry to emerge.

"… I don't know," Dee Dee confessed, hanging her head. "Both Billy and the Fusion Spawn-"

"His name is Runty."

"-Runty… followed me to Galaxy Gardens when we got ambushed by the fans," She glared at Billy for cutting in sharply. "I think the others might've been separated, like us, or captured."

Gamma nodded, then touched her pockets. She could've sworn she'd heard a voice-

"Hello…? Hello? Pick up yer phone-thingy!" A beefy, but recognisable voice boomed. Gamma took a blue walkie-talkie from her trousers, pressed a button on the side of the machine and spoke.

"Lee? Is that you?" The static was terrible, however Lee's tone broke through the noise.

"Yeah, it's me," She seemed anxious, which was unusual for her personality. "I tried callin' what's-his-name and got no reply, seems that all his lackeys have gone on some major hunt," Gamma's eyes grew wide. "Anyways, that's not what I called for," The others now crowded around the walkie-talkie as if it was a sacred relic. "I saw some weird kid plottin' somethin' I don't like outside the trailer park," Lee's words were aggravated. "I was about to tell her to scram when she said your name mixed in with a buncha insults, Gamma."

Gamma's blood ran cold with fear. "By any chance did the girl have green eyes and golden hair?"

The hesitation was agonising. "Yeah," Lee confirmed. "She mumbled somethin' strange about lurin' you guys to an unused Fusion base near the borders of Galaxy Gardens," Gamma listened keenly, forming a plan in her head. "She acted like as if she had an army of her own, darn freaky if you ask me."

Gamma spoke thankfully. "Right, thanks for the heads-up, Lee." She replied, plotting carefully.

"No problem," She was about to cut Lee off when she heard the voice speak again. "And Gamma?"

"Yeah?"

"… Make sure that witch don't lay a finger on my man for me, would ya'?" Gamma couldn't help but admire Lee's devotion to Eddy, no matter if he wanted it or not, as she left the group in silence. For a moment everybody looked at each other in silence, then Gamma got to her feet, pondering quietly.

"What do we do now?" Billy blurted out, unable to control himself. Gamma turned and smirked at Billy.

"We find the base," She began, fixing her gaze on him. "Then we'll need a wedge of cheese, some make-up skills and…." The others caught on and stared at Billy, who backed away nervously. "… A decoy."

Billy groaned and hung his head in defeat, knowing that he'd been chosen by the others against his own wishes. Dee Dee smiled as she dragged him into the darkness, getting out a very used make-up bag from her pockets as she mapped out her design.

The base entrance was blatantly obvious, for there were two girls standing beside a large opening in a ridge that had probably been created fairly recently as Gamma poked her head out from the boulder that the group were hiding behind. She spotted the girls eagerly and turned to the back of the group. "C'mon Billy, you're up!" She ordered to Billy, who was hiding behind Ed in humiliation.

"Nuh-uh! I'm not going out there like this!" Billy refused, making Dee Dee giggle.

"But Billy…" She went up to Billy and pushed him into Gamma's view, revealing that Dee Dee had put the poor guy in the pinkest, frilliest dress she'd ever seen alongside red high-heels, a blonde, pig-tail wig and slathered as much make-up as possible on Billy's face. "You look so pretty!"

Gamma also had a word to describe Billy's new look, but it was far from 'pretty' as she watched the boy scowl moodily. "Why do _I _have to be the decoy, anyways? Why not you girls or Ed instead?"

"Because," Gamma replied, holding herself back from busting into laughter. "They'd recognise us if it was Dee Dee, Ed or me instantly, and not may girls know you, Billy," She then shoved Billy into the view of the guards. "So embrace your feminine side and knock 'em dead!"

Billy grumbled, then he approached the girls, their gaudy clothing freaked him out as he lurched towards them in the heels awkwardly. "Hey, you!" One of the guards called, wielding a rather sharp indigo sword. "What do you think you're doing here?" Billy's nerves took over. He cleared his throat and put on the most girly voice he could muster.

"Um… hello," He began, his voice high but crude. "I was just wondering if you would let me join your group, y'know, because I hate Gamma, just like you?"

The two girls looked at each other sceptically before the first one turned back to Billy. "Okay, who do you want to love you and adore you for the rest of your life?" She asked, prompting Billy to look at his hand. The name 'DEXTER' was written on his palm in child-like handwriting.

"Uh… Dexter?" He answered, receiving a nod from both girls.

"Right, we'll take you to Luce, she'll give you a few more questions and then kick you out- I mean… decide if you can join us or not." The first one replied and gestured to the other girl and Billy to follow her.

What neither of the guards saw was Billy taking out Herbert, and when they were out of sight he shoved the wedge of chess in front of his escorts. Guards one moment, knocked out on the ground the next. Upon turning back Billy whistled, beckoning for the others to come.

Gamma perked up when she heard whistling in the distance and smirked.

The mission had started.

The others soon caught up to Billy, who glared at Gamma as she arrived. "Never ever make me wear this dress again!" He warned. Gamma shrugged her shoulders and looked up at the rocky walls.

"Well," She began. "This is it!" Then the group continued their attack, letting Ed take out the guards with Sheldon Junior as they went, and soon enough they reached a point where there were more than just one guards. They were crowded around a very beaten up Eddy, who was firing off insults at his captors.

"Can it, pipsqueak!" One girl barked, dressed in a soldier's uniform. "You say one more thing about my hips, and I'll rip your head off, kapeesh?"

Eyes fell on Billy again, who groaned and walked out, throwing Herbert at the girls. They looked at Billy with funny looks for a moment before they groaned and teetered, unable to stand against the force of Herbert's foul stench, and the boy in a girl's disguise walked up to Eddy, helping him up as the guards collapsed. "Wow, thanks, babe!" Eddy gave Billy a casual grin as he spoke. "Think I could have your phone number?"

Billy was not amused. "Screw this." Then he took the wig off, crushing Eddy's hopes and making his face gawk in horror.

"Billy?" He rubbed his eyes in disbelief. "What the hell happened to you?"

"I made him all pretty!" Dee Dee replied happily as the others emerged. Gamma couldn't help but smile as Eddy recognised Ed.

"Lumpy? Is that you?" Ed ran over to Eddy and hugged him, giving a very notable answer to his question.

"I missed you so much, I was so worried that you'd been eaten by the monsters!" Eddy struggled in Ed's grasp.

"Lemme go you big lummox!" But then he gave in and hugged Ed tightly. "I… I missed you too, pal." Then they continued up the path that weaved and narrowed in some places, getting greener and greener until, after knocking out as many fan-girls as possible, the group looked into the opening of a hallway-like chamber of the lair. Gamma heard the sounds of mumbling as a large group of girls huddled around two, exhausted figures.

"I won't ask you again!" One girl warned, concealed by her cohorts. "Where are the others?"

Another voice, sad and tired, sighed. "I don't know," Gamma recognised the speaker to be Double-D. "We… we all took off in different directions, I can't tell you where they are."

Suddenly there was a yelp, followed by a smacking sound, then somebody fell to the floor. "Alright, drop yo' weapons!" The strict voice of Numbah Five ordered. "This Freeze Ray is much more powerful than all of yours put together and I _don't _wanna use it on a human, got it?" Ed finally snapped and ran out to the crowd.

"Double-D!" The sea of females parted, revealing a very bruised Double-D and a pale Numbah Five. Double-D's eyes lit up when Ed revealed himself.

"… Ed?" His eyes began to water as the others joined them. "Is… Is that really you? Or… am I dreaming?"

Ed began to weep as he embraced Double-D, followed by Eddy, and for that one moment a long-lost friendship had been restored. "I'm here, Double-D, I'm really here! Don't you worry your sweet biffy, friend!"

Gamma smiled, but didn't see the one girl who'd recognised her and was aiming a pistol at her head. Numbah Five noticed the attacker and fired the ray, encasing the girl in thick ice.

That did it, the girls suddenly attacked in a frenzy, swarming around the group like a swarm of locusts. "Stand your ground!" Numbah Five ordered as the others got ready to fight back. Gamma was in the middle of the others, unable to pull out her Null Void gun and join the brawl, then Numbah Five glanced at her. "You go on ahead, we'll handle these goons!" She pointed at an angle where the wall of fighters were weaker. "There should be a hole to your left when you break through, that's a short-cut to where Luce is," Numbah Five instructed. "On my signal, head down it, and you'll find Dexter!"

Gamma shook timidly. "W-W-What if I can't do it alone?" Numbah Five charged her weapon and smirked.

"You can," She promised. "Just like when we first met, you climbed that wall all on your own, didn't you?" Gamma nodded. "Dexter needs you now to finish this, once and for all-" She then fired the gun at the wall, creating a mess of frozen fan-girls and a large exit made from ice. "-Now go!"

Gamma took one last look at her friends, then she charged, setting her eyes on a large gash in the ground as soon as she got out of the whirlwind. The girl glanced at the occupied swarm and gulped.

Then she teetered…

And then Gamma fell, embracing the depths of the darkness she had anticipated for so long…


	6. Chapter 6

**Here it is, as promised, the end of 'The Stitching', hope you've enjoyed reading it. Needless to say I wasn't sure if I'd get it up in time due to horrid internet access, but I did.**

**As I said, hope you enjoyed it as much as I've enjoyed writing it, and make sure to leave a comment or something in the reviews if you feel so inclined! :3**

Gamma had always enjoyed the feeling that rolled around her stomach as she fell, unable to see anything below her and the echoes of the fight far above her. The mayhem felt like a distant memory to her as she prepared in the dark, empty space. Falling…

… Falling…

… Falling…

THUD!

Gamma was cupped by a springy surface as she landed on her back, at first, she thought that she'd hit the hard ground and was on her way to the afterlife, but after a few moments the girl stirred and got to her feet. She activated the Null Void gun, providing her with light that painted the cavern paths and discovered that she'd landed on a large mattress. Getting off, Gamma's nerves sharpened, shivering as she regained herself, at least there weren't any more nasty surprises waiting just around the corn-

"… Wauuul!" A voice cried, followed by the sound of someone hitting the mattress. Gamma whipped around and her eyes fell upon Dee Dee, who groaned dizzily and cheered. "That was fun!"

"Dee Dee," Gamma whispered. "Keep it down, we can't let Luce hear us!" She watched her cohort get up and brush the dust from her pink dress. "Why the heck did you follow me, anyways?"

"Dexter's my brother," Dee Dee replied with a hint of protectiveness. "He needs me as much as he needs you to help him get away from that stupid fan as well!"

Gamma saw Dee Dee's point and nodded, then she turned to the path ahead, splashing the ground in blue with light from Null Void gun. They walked slowly, keeping alert for any sign of enemies, but the caverns remained clear and empty, making Gamma play out scenarios in her wandering mind: Finding Luce and discovering that Dexter had decided to go off with that coward, uncovering Dexter's mangled corpse, Dee Dee suddenly yelping while shaking her feet madly…

Gamma turned around.

"Getitoff!" Dee Dee blurted out in the frenzy of attempting to throw something that had attached itself to her shoes. "Getitoffoffoffoffoff!"

"What the heck… ?" Gamma's eyes fell upon a gruesome, green liquid that bubbled furiously as it clung to Dee Dee with jelly-like movement. There was only one fluid that had such strength and hideousness: Fusion Matter. In an attempt to keep undetected, Gamma tried to calm her cohort down. "Dee Dee, don't worry, just be still for a moment, just…" But the ballerina shoes would not stop. "… Just… just…" Sighing in defeat, Gamma yanked the matter firmly, tearing it from Dee Dee's limbs and flung it at the walls. The rubbery liquid landed with a audible 'SQUELCH!' before it clung to the surface, bubbles bursting like boils angrily.

"Eww…" Dee Dee retched. "I didn't know Fusion Matter could be grosser than it already is!"

Gamma pressed a finger to her lips as a heated breeze kissed her ears with the distant sound of talking. She led Dee Dee in the direction of the noise, watching as globs of Fusion Matter began to line the walls as if the two were in a survival-horror game or something similar to it. Then the dialogue began to get clearer. "You… you can't do this!" Gamma recognised the heavy Russian accent almost immediately as they approached.

"Of course I can!" Another familiar voice fought back. "And there's nothing that little 'lackey' of yours can do about it," A lime-green glow that radiated from an opening in the passageways hit Gamma's eyes and she flinched as Luce's words sharpened. "Besides, when our blood mixes, your friends will mean nothing to you any more!"

"Blood… mixes?" Dee Dee echoed in confusion.

"What will mixing my blood with yours do?" Dexter asked. "Other than cause agglutination to occur!" But his warning met laughter.

"Wereplushie blood can't solidify in another person's body," Luce replied. "How did I know that?" A booming roar entered the fray. "Lets just say I had the time to study them closely!" Gamma gritted her teeth nervously as the duo caught sight of a figure, outline darkened by the heat. "Remember this guy? I believe you met each other in the forest a few days ago, he really wanted to see you again!"

Dee Dee's breath deepened sadly as Dexter cried out. "How is this possible? How can that… that 'thing' be-"

"My pet? It's a long story," Luce's voice heightened. "It all began when you kicked me out of your army, I was so mad that I threw my favourite teddy bear into Fusion Matter, and this-" The figure pointed at something behind her. "-Was born, ever wonder why the Fusion Monsters disappeared?" Luce paused to laugh. "Not even they could stand to be around my beast!"

Both girls listened in horror, but neither of them noticing the strand of unusually hot Fusion Matter that just managed to touch the tip of Dee Dee's hair and a musty smell graced Gamma's nostrils. "Hey," She whispered as smoke puffed from her cohort's pig-tails. "Do you smell something burning, Dee Dee?"

FWOOSH!

Almost immediately Dee Dee's golden hair burst into flames, causing her to run around Gamma in circles and shouting out "My hair is on fire! My hair is on fire! My hair is on fire!"

Gamma panicked, then spat on her hands and smeared them onto the orange heat, listening as it hissed stubbornly as she put it out. "Ah," Luce called. "It appears that we have guests!"

Unable to restrain herself any further, Gamma exploded into the area, her eyes met a sea of Fusion Matter that rumbled like lava, almost as if she was in the depths of an active volcano. The walls remained craggy, but were laced with veins of matter that pulsated violently that only made a bridge that hung above the ocean of green, connected by a carved-out path on the left, more sinister and foreboding. "Gamma!" Dexter called. Gamma turned to see the wereplushie that was her friend latched to the wall, bound by green fluids that acted like shackles.

"Why, hello there, little pest!" Luce greeted with sinister coolness. "Have I introduced you to my pet, Prissy?" She pointed at a lumbering giant that was rearing up onto its hind legs behind its master. "He's been dying to meet you!" The figure raised his head, revealing a teddy-bear's faced that had been damned by shark-like jaws, complete with teeth that resembled daggers. The beast's fat limbs were nailed with heavy claws and his once baby-pink pelt blotched with Fusion Matter, then Prissy bellowed and glared at Gamma with eyes that resembled drops of blood, yet Luce held her creature back. "I can't allow you to meddle any further, little Gamma," She ordered like a teacher. "You've messed with me too much!"

If Luce had said those words to Gamma a few weeks ago, then Gamma would've shrivelled up and run away. But this time she stood her ground with her free fist clenched. "Let Dexter go, Luce," Her voice became sharper than flint. "Now."

Luce chortled. "How courageous, shame you'll never get the chance to kiss Dexter, considering that he'll only pine for me once our blood mixes together."

"What are you on about?" Dexter asked, frustrated that he wasn't being given any answers. He attempted to pry himself free from the wall as Luce watched.

"Once a wereplushie's blood, in their human form, of course, crosses with another's then the wereplushie and the other become destined for life together, no matter what," The fan-girl explained, then turned to Dee Dee's humiliated face as she emerged onto the scene, the tips of her hair charred, and smirked. "I wouldn't touch that Fusion Magma again, if I were you, getting covered in the stuff could be worse than death!"

Dee Dee wasn't amused. "Just let my brother go and change him back," She glared at Luce aggressively. "Or you'll be sorry!"

Luce burst out in laughter and doubled over. "Oh no! I'm so scared!" She mocked coldly. "What are you going to do? Annoy me to death?"

Dee Dee turned red, making Gamma back away from the area as quickly as she could, even Dexter seemed scared as his sister twitched angrily. The ballerina snarled and charged at Luce, mouth foaming in fury as she ran. "I WARNED YOU!" She screeched, only to be batted away by Prissy's large paws when Luce snapped her fingers.

"Dee Dee!" Dexter cried as his sibling hit the ground, yelping in pain as her body began to bruise. He growled and pulled away from his prison, snapping the liquid threads as Prissy charged. Gamma fingered the Null Void gun and fired it, aiming at the beast, propelling a ball of blue energy directly at the bear's chest. Prissy fell back, his torso a mess of burnt fabric and stuffing, yet continued heading towards the others as Dexter helped Dee Dee back onto her feet. "Come on then!" The human wereplushie roared and caught the monster, locking Prissy firmly in his grasp.

Dee Dee looked at Gamma. "Go and deal with Luce, I'll help Dexter!" Then she jumped into the fray before Gamma caught sight of Luce attempting to sneak off onto the road leading to the bridge. The girl stared, realising that she'd been spotted, and fled, making her rival scowl and pursue with tense anticipation.

The ridge was much closer than Gamma had expected, finding herself staring across the craggy bridge with the brawl of howls and felt below. Luce stood in the middle of the chosen arena, waiting for Gamma to approach. "I've got to hand it to you," She began. "You have much bravado for an _average_ fan-girl, I'm surprised at how tough you are, despite that obese flab you've got for a body!"

Now it was Gamma's turn to flare up, her face redder than crimson. She loaded the gun and aimed it at Luce. "I'm not obese!" She insisted. "I'm just slightly overweight," The anger in Gamma's voice was hotter than the sun. "Got it, doll-face?"

Luce shook her head. "Now, now, temper, temper!" She scolded and brought out a rather nasty-looking indigo sword that had been sharpened to the point where it could probably slice through limbs effortlessly from a scabbard beneath her shirt. "You want to fight? Very well then," The challenger pointed the blade at Gamma. "Now, _en garde_!"

Gamma charged first, firing her weapon madly while Luce jumped back, deflecting the orbs with the edges of her sword. They swiped at each other in a frenzy of metal and bullets, Gamma eventually swerved and pulled the trigger, managing to squeeze out a cry from Luce as a sphere burned her shoulders. "Dee Dee!" Dexter's wailing made Gamma turn to see Dee Dee slumped up against the walls, her face marked with bruises, as her brother forced Prissy back from his sibling protectively.

"Dexter-" Gamma called out in concern, unaware that Luce was about to hurl the blade at her head, but Dexter's eyes caught a horrified glimpse quickly.

"Gamma, look out!" His warning came too late, as Gamma turned to find the weapon charging at her face.

The sword struck her left eyelid, making Gamma drop the gun into the depths below and heave out an agonised scream. Clutching the blinded eye she felt warm liquid seep through her fingers, then Gamma toppled over, sprawled out and at Luce's mercy.

The fight below had intensified, with Dexter propelling himself into Prissy's battered body and making the demonic beast to teeter over the magma behind them.

Gamma's head throbbed as her clouded sight looked up at Luce's ghostly figure, her weapon raised above her head as if it was a guillotine, and the two girls forgot about the rest of the world in a heartbeat, leaving behind the chaos as both looked at each other.

And the blade…

Came…

_Down._

At first, watching her right arm part from her shoulders seemed unreal, watching the flecks of blood glitter like rubies as the joint separated, watching as the limb fell to its demise and watching as a stream of garnet slowly spread across the rock.

Then the pain brought Gamma back to reality.

She roared, her mind beginning to shatter as Luce laughed, raising the blade once more and laughing with a twisted sneer stained red from her horrid deed. Her eyes eager to finish the fight once and for all, and forming the shape of the evil darkness that Gamma, above everything, feared the most:

Madness.

Dexter gathered the last of his power and shoved Prissy into the lava, watching as the monster that had condemned him with being a plushie heaved a moan as flames and matter consumed him. The human wereplushie turned to his sister, who had been knocked unconscious, studying her wounds before an ear-splitting scream made him turn back to see an arm being consumed by gluttonous magma.

That meant only one thing.

Dexter put his hand on the cut the monster had given to his face and howled, crying out to the one who had gone through so much to give him his freedom.

Gamma's tears stung the wound on her eye as she watched Luce ready the sword one last time and automatically thought back to the memories of the past, her family, her victories, her defeats, the photo of her parents-

Then she remembered another photo that had given her the cut on her remaining hand. Gamma fingered around in her pockets and pulled out the locket that she'd pulled away from Luce's chest just hours earlier. The psycho halted, suddenly in a trance as the hand swerved out, despite feeling almost frozen by the raging pain that pulsated through her body, over the heated sea below. The realisation hit Luce harder than a brick. "You wouldn't dare!" She snarled, but turned to sorrow as Gamma's fingers let go of her most prized possession. Luce rushed over to the side, mourning her loss in a series of cries, then Gamma caught the opportunity, kicking her rival's thighs with the one ounce of strength she had left.

Luce attempted to regain her balance…

Then disappeared to the large drop below the bridge.

… But not before grabbing Gamma's battered legs in an attempt to take her rival with her.

Gamma just managed to keep her grip on the side, catching a glimpse as Luce's rage-filled eyes were consumed by matter. She watched as her exhausted fingers began to slip, and, in the knowledge of defeat, Gamma gave one final cry, waiting to meet the fate that awaited her in the depths…

Dexter watched as Luce's body fell victim to the magma, then he saw Gamma clinging from the bridge for dear life. Upon instinct he darted across the path and just managed to grab Gamma's arm as she began to drop, pulling her up from the magma and bringing her back down to the safety of the ground. She had become unconscious from her wounds and exhaustion, who could blame her? But the smell of her fear and blood made Dexter whimper sadly and he too collapsed.

Neither of them knew that Dexter's cut met Gamma's blinded eye as felt turned back to flesh.

Neither of them felt their blood pass between each other.

Neither of them knew that they'd just defeated death…

… And neither of them stirred when the others found their exhausted bodies.


	7. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

_~Approximately just under three weeks later…~_

Double-D studied the brilliant wrapping that cloaked the item he'd bought as he crossed the cul-de-sac paths nervously and looked up at a large pile of shapes as the Urban Rangers closed off the entrance to the public for the day. The boy sighed as he looked at the colour of the paper covering the gift he'd chosen, the black eye a girl had given him only just beginning to fade.

Purple.

Her favourite colour.

Numbah Five emerged from behind the presents, her arms covered in gashes from the fight and watched as Double-D placed the box down at the base of the mountain of gifts. "So…" She pondered. "What'd you get her?" Despite Numbah Five's calm voice Double-D could sense the worried feelings around the edges of her words.

He looked at his cohort. "She told me that she likes fossils," Double-D replied. "So I got her an ammonite-"

The sounds of wailing made both turn to see Father, Eddy and Billy weeping together. "I know I don't like kids," Father sobbed. "But that girl wasn't bad at all!"

Eddy nodded. "She was the only one who never made fun of my height!" He held his knees and used his trousers as a tissue for his tears.

"Uh-huh!" Billy blubbered. "And she was the only one who got Runty's name right first time!" Runty was beside his master, green drops of matter falling from his mournful eyes. But none of them caught a glimpse as a pair of eyes, one dark, but happy, the other, robotic and glowed a warm shade of amethyst, fell upon the group.

"To be truthful," A familiar voice began. "I guessed Runty's name the first time 'round." Everybody turned to see a robotic hand, clad in royal-purple, armour-like metal waving from afar, attached to the joint that had once been Gamma's fleshly shoulder. Half of her face had been covered in metal and branded with the Dexlabs logo, but the smile on Gamma's mouth was kind and thankful. "Having a robotic eye still feels weird," She confessed. "But Dexter fixed me up real good!"

"Indeed," A Russian voice added. Dexter had appeared from behind Gamma with Dee Dee in tow, both still very bruised but healing well. The cut on the boy genius's face had given way to a fresh scar. "I must admit, wiring the arm together without electrocuting Gamma was a challenge," Dexter smirked victoriously. "But it was all worth it!"

"She looked so happy when we told her we were going to the cul-de-sac," Dee Dee remarked cheerfully. "Come to think of it, we _all _became happy to move away from the cries from those icky fan-girls Dexter had to fire for siding with Luce!"

Then Gamma noticed the presents. "What's with all the gifts, may I ask?" Then the others grouped together as Double-D took out a very dirty box from the pile and handed it to her.

"Ed told me to give this to you before he left for Mount Blackhead," He explained as Gamma opened the gift and took out a wedge of cheese. "Her name is Sharon, Sheldon's eldest sister, by the way."

Billy finally gave in. "Happy Birthday, Gamma!" The others cheered as he blurted out the words.

The party raged on into the night, grabbing the attention of both annoyed recruits who weren't allowed to join in and confused Fusion Monsters that watched on the orders of Fuse, who once again believed that the humans were plotting against him as music boomed from the depths of the fort.

But one voice, amongst all the fun, remained quiet.

Gamma stood from the wall where she'd encountered Numbah Five for the first time, recalling the decision that had thrown her into the wildest adventure she'd ever had. It was still sinking in that Gamma actually had a Birthday, yet her mind was on other things as she watched Dexter chatting away happily to his friends. She was happy that her friend was normal again, there was no denying that, but Gamma longed for the days when the wereplushie roamed his kingdom, searching for the pair of dark eyes that haunted his mind night after night. She looked at her slender metal arm and felt the warmth that radiated from it for a moment and pined quietly for the melodious howl that rose up when the sun gave way to the moon, even though if Gamma hadn't confronted Luce in the first place, then Dexter would be under her command by now. But her heart longed for the gentle eyes and the rosy cheeks, the whimpers and the nose, the bloated feet and the-

"Hey," Gamma turned to see Dexter pull himself up onto the wall. She glanced at his scar as he approached. "Are you okay up here?"

Gamma lowered her head. "I'm… fine," She replied. "I just needed some space, that's all."

Dexter nodded, then looked at his friend's eyes calmly. "Listen," He began, softening his voice to a whisper. "Would you mind if I gave you your present from me in secret?"

Gamma shrugged. "I don't mind," She reassured as Dexter took her by the hand. "Where do you want to go?"

Dexter glanced at her. "The forest."

They headed for the same path that had brought them together, recalling the shade of the trees quietly. "I'm a little nervous," Gamma remarked when they finally stopped. "I keep expecting Luce's lackey to suddenly… y'know…"

"I know," Dexter agreed and held out his hand. Gamma had expected a small box or something, but no, she found herself staring at a purple palm. "Remove my glove," Dexter spoke as Gamma hesitated. "Don't be shy, just take it off."

Slowly, but surely, Gamma peeled the glove away, meeting the sight of a silver bracelet around Dexter's naked wrist. "What's that?" The cyborg asked, pointing at the jewellery. Dexter smiled.

"It turns out," He began, slipping the silver off. "The pendant we used wasn't made of silver at all!" Sweat dotted Dexter's face as his cheeks became felt-pink.

"Does that mean… ?" The surprise in Gamma's biological eye widened as she watched her friend double over.

"T-T-That's right!" Dexter replied, voice beginning to deepen. "It doesn't mean that I'm cured, but-" The rest of his explanation was drowned out by screams of pain. Skin turned to felt, loafers gave way to over-stuffed feet and a gentle gaze looked up at the cyborg as the change ceased.

Gamma couldn't restrain herself any more and buried her head into Dexter's chest when he finally stood up. Sighing happily, she stepped away, letting her friend lead her with his clumsy hands out to a ridge where they could be left in peace. "That's _Ursa Major_, right?" Gamma asked, pointing up to the stars that glowed like fireflies. They had chosen a spot looming over the path that led up to Mount Blackhead.

"Correct," Dexter nodded, unaware that Gamma was beginning to move closer to him. "There are many more complex constellations out there, such as Bootes, 'The Bear Driver' and the neighbouring constellation Coma Ber, 'Bernice's Hair'." He noted Gamma's nervous gaze as she approached.

"You've done so much for me," She began, almost stammering and brought herself up to Dexter's level. "I've… I've accomplished so much since we met, and I've never been able to say it until we were alone," She felt tension stab her mind as Dexter watched her carefully. "T-T-Thank you, Dexter."

Gamma hesitated.

Then she kissed Dexter on the cheek.

The guilt fought back when she saw Dexter's surprised reaction. He pondered, then turned to his friend and looked at her. "You missed." He replied.

Gamma's face became confused. "… What?"

"You missed." The wereplushie repeated, making Gamma's head even more clouded.

"What do you mean I missed-" She began, only to find Dexter's lips pressed against her own, making Gamma's face turn scarlet as joy exploded inside of her heart. They tore away from each other, bound with new feelings that they'd never experienced before, then, once she'd recovered, Gamma stole a glance at Dexter's scar and giggled as the wereplushie put his arm around her half-metal, half-flesh shoulders. "Oh, Dexter," Gamma sighed, words passing through her lips that were only ever uttered in her wildest fantasies. "I love you."

Dexter held his gaze on her amethyst eye for a moment, letting the words out that he'd thought he'd never be able to say to a girl truthfully. "I.. I love you too, Gamma."

The duo laughed and held each other, unaware that they were being watched as several Fusion Monsters studied them curiously in the safety of the forest. They sat together with new-found curiosity, recalling the descriptions of humans that their master had told with a hint of bitter hatred to his troops.

Perhaps there were more to humans than they'd thought after all…

The volcano-like lair heaved groggily, the caverns quiet and untouched since the fight. The green magma squelched as it simmered, the intense heat reinforced its terrifying authority.

Suddenly, the lava began to bubble furiously, and a pale hand submerged, exploding from the liquid as the veins pulsated with grotesque, dark-lime anger. The hand held itself in the air for a moment, twitching madly, as the owner of the hand pulled herself, mummified in fluids, and fixed her shattered mind on one word and one word alone:

… _Revenge…_

The End… ?


End file.
